We know taking your children on holiday to a new destination can be extremely daunting, especially when you’re leaving them with a team of people you’ve only just met. One of the top questions we’re always asked in the UK office before a new family goes on their holiday is ‘what will our children get up to in the creche?’ So we thought we’d break it down for you so you can have total peace of mind!

Pre 9am

Our team of qualified nannies are down early to plan out the day’s activites whilst getting the creche ready with a different floor game, messy play idea and arts and crafts activity. The team will have a meeting discussing anything they need to know about a child’s routine or worries so that everyone is aware and on the same page for the day.

9am

We’re open! You’ll be greeted by one of our qualified nannies at the gate who will help to settle your child in. You’ll hand over their lunch/snacks/outdoor clothes/comforters which will be placed in their own individual cubbie hole that they have for the week. On the first day you’ll hand us a child information form which will have all the necessary information on, such as contact info, sleep and eating schedule and allergies etc.

For any nervous children the first day is always the hardest but we find that once they’ve spent the morning with the team they soon relax. We have a range of games and play areas to help settle every child in so we’ll always take the time to find what works best for them.

We really try hard to ensure that drop off and the day goes as smoothly as possible. Whether it’s sending you photos throughout the day to see what they’re up to or sending you text updates with how they’re settling in, we work around what will make you feel most comfortable. We always start the day with some free play as we think it’s really important for the children to instantly be able to relax and do whatever they’d like to do.

From 9.30am

Our youngest skiers are our Totons whose lesson is typically at 10am for one hour (this is subject to change on certain weeks). Our nannies will start to get them dressed into their ski clothes whilst also putting on their helmets, gloves, googles and ski boots – always the trickiest bit!

Once they’re ready one of our qualified nannies will walk them up to their lesson to meet their instructor. The same qualified nanny will stay for the lesson throughout the week so your children have a familiar face in their lesson. Most of our instructors are mums and dads themselves so they’re great at creating a fun and friendly atmosphere whilst also recognising any children who maybe need a little more time to get used to the skis.

For our youngest children who are maybe not quite ready to learn to ski, they will stay in the creche for the hour and have full reign of the creche! We use the hour to do a range of things, such as using the messy play corner, doing different arts and crafts activities such as body painting, story time or going outside for a little walk. We also have a little sleep room located next to our baby room for any of our youngest guests who just need to rest their eyes for a bit. We make a note of every child’s schedule as we know it’s important to stick to it even on holiday.

11am-1pm

After their lesson the Totons are normally hungry so once they’re back in their indoor clothing we sit them down for a drink and snack. We can either provide something for your child/children or you can bring something in for them. The bakery is located right next door to the creche and makes particularly good croissants….

Then it’s back to free play – we tend to let the children go between 2 of our 3 rooms so they can either do some artwork for their art folder that they take home at the end of the week or they can head to the middle room where we have a slide, wendy house and huge amount of fancy dress. We also always have the option to head out to the outdoor park located next to the nursery slope.

When it gets to lunchtime, we sit everyone down together next to the kitchen and have lunch. Some parents choose to bring in a packed lunch whereas some might take them out for a quick bite to eat before returning them to the creche. With the creche being so close to the slopes/shops/accomodation we are completely flexible with whatever you’d like to do which gives you more options for your day.

The afternoons

Each afternoon we pick a different theme such as ‘Pirates’, ‘Safari’ or ‘Superheroes’ and base different activities around the theme for an hour or so. We might make superhero capes and masks and then go on a superhero hunt around resort to see if we can solve any mysteries.

Some people like to pre book their afternoon sessions in the UK whereas others prefer to see how they feel on the day as to whether they book any afternoon creche sessions. It’s very rare for us to get completely booked up in the creche but it is always better checking with Sarah and Jo in the UK office before you travel as some weeks, such as school holidays, the demand can be a lot higher.

We like every family to have flexibility on their holiday, so even if you have pre booked certain days, if we have the availability we can swap days round to fit with your plans. Our set up works particularly well if you’re a mixed ability family, you could take your oldest out for a few runs before returning and picking up your youngest to go sledging or to the swimming pool all together.

So there you have it, a typical day in our Snowbizz creche. Our guests really like the flexibility that our creche offers them on their holiday as plans can change each day and we always try to accommodate that. And the reason our creche is much loved by our littlest guests is that it’s different to a normal UK nursery. We of course always have a structure and a daily plan in place but as it’s the children’s holiday our whole emphasis is on letting them do exactly what they’d like (within reason obviously!) and making sure they have fun. As the age old saying goes, if the children are happy then so are the parents.