Barnardos Palmerston North shares parenting tips for the school holidays

Barnardos Palmerston North service manager Mary McDavitt says parenting is a tough job. Photo / Judith Lacy

The festive season is over, the school holidays are long, and the transition back to school looms.

Barnardos Palmerston North service manager Mary McDavitt has some tips for parents and caregivers to get through the next few weeks.

Parenting is a tough job, she says.

1. The school holidays are a time to loosen routines and, if possible, spend quality time with your children. Be present and available and don’t forget to have fun.

2. Explore all the free activities in Manawatū. When out and about give your children a task such as picking up rubbish or identifying birds and trees.

3. Have a time when both you and your children put away your devices.

4. Involve your child in age-appropriate activities transiting back to school. This could include getting their lunchbox ready and choosing clothes to wear the night before. Put routines back in place slowly.

5. Change the environment. If the kids are getting grumpy, encourage them to go outside. If they are getting mopey put on music for dancing.

McDavitt has been a social worker at Barnardos for 10 years. She says social work is about supporting families to make decisions to effect real change. McDavitt has five adult children and five grandchildren.

Barnardos’ children and family services provides social work services. The bulk of referrals come from other agencies, schools and the health system, but people can self-refer.

There are a multitude of reasons why things might not be going well for a family and why a social worker might work with them, McDavitt says.

The family could have recently moved and not know what services are available, a child could be having issues at a new school, or a parent is struggling to raise a child on their own.

More grandparents are raising grandchildren and parenting styles have changed from 20-30 years ago. Barnardos can help grandparents navigate the challenges.

Barnardos also works with the Teen Parent Unit at Freyberg High School.

Barnardos focuses on the child to create a world where every child is valued and shines bright, she says.

Barnardos Palmerston North delivers Bumps to Babies ante-natal education and runs the Parenting Through Separation programme about how to put children first in a distressing time.

It operates an early learning centre in Roslyn and home-based early learning.

0800 What’s Up (0800 942 8787) is a free call-in service for 5 to 19-year-olds. It operates seven days a week 11am to 11pm.

McDavitt recommends the Tākai website run by Oranga Tamariki, which has parenting and child development information covering pregnancy through to 5 years. There is a free whānau holiday plan to download and activities and songs.

• Ring 06 358 9429 or visit barnardos.org.nz for more information. If the social workers can’t help you, they will put you in touch with another agency.

Judith Lacy has been the editor of the Manawatū Guardian since December 2020. She graduated from journalism school in 2001 and this is her second role editing a community paper.