If you run baby classes, toddler groups, kids clubs or after-school activities, you probably didn’t set out thinking you’d spend half your week glued to your laptop. You signed up to teach, to inspire, to work with children… not to drown in emails, WhatsApp messages and spreadsheets.

But let’s be honest. Most children’s activity providers are doing too much of the wrong stuff. Admin eats your evenings, planning eats your weekends, and you never feel like you’re on top of things. Burnout creeps in, and suddenly you’re questioning whether this business was supposed to give you more freedom or less.

The truth? You don’t need to work harder. You need to work smarter. And that comes down to having the right systems and shortcuts in place.

Why most providers are stuck in “busy mode”

The most common trap I see is activity providers trying to do everything manually. Chasing parents for payments. Writing every email from scratch. Manually ticking off names in a notebook at the start of class. Sound familiar?

The problem isn’t your passion. The problem is you haven’t built systems that let your business run without you doing every tiny task. That’s what keeps you stuck on the hamster wheel.

The sanity savers I recommend

Here are the exact systems and tools that can claw back hours in your week without needing to hire a big team.

1. A proper booking system
If you’re still taking bookings by DM or bank transfer, you’re making life harder than it needs to be. A booking system means parents book directly, pay instantly, and get automatic confirmations. No more chasing.

2. Email templates that do the work for you
Stop rewriting the same emails every week. Have a template for welcome emails, trial follow-ups, cancellations, birthday party enquiries. Copy, paste, tweak, send. Job done.

3. Automations
Think of automations as your silent assistant. Reminders to parents before class? Automated. Post-class thank yous? Automated. You can even drip-feed a nurture sequence to trial families so they get to know, like and trust you without you lifting a finger.

4. Social media scheduling
You do not need to be glued to your phone 24/7. Batch create posts once a week, load them into a scheduler, and let it run. It frees you up to actually engage rather than panic post.

5. Shared folders and templates
Lesson plans, risk assessments, posters, sign-in sheets… how many times are you recreating things you’ve already made? Have a library of templates ready to go.

Delegating without losing control

Here’s the bit most providers struggle with. They think delegating means giving up control. It doesn’t. It means you free up your time to focus on the things only you can do.

Even if you’re not ready to hire staff, you can outsource small pieces. A virtual assistant to manage enquiries. A designer to create branded templates. A bookkeeper to take the accounts headache away. The right support pays for itself because it gives you the headspace to grow.

The bigger picture

You didn’t start your business to work 70 hours a week. You started it to share your passion and build something that works for you and your family. If you’re exhausted, it’s not because you’re failing. It’s because you’re doing too much of the stuff that systems and shortcuts can take care of.

Put them in place now, and you’ll thank yourself this time next term when you’ve got more time for the fun part of your business – teaching the children.

Want done-for-you tools and templates that save you hours? Head to the Children’s Activity Business Club shop