Looking for ways to balance letting your kids enjoy the holidays but not entirely abandoning learning?
This article reveals seven and a half ways you can conveniently show them that learning can be one of the most fun holiday activities, too.
1/2. Brainstorm With Your Kids
Prior to/on the first day of the holiday break, sit down with your kids and together, map out some activities for their holiday period.
Allowing them to be a part of the brainstorming and planning process will make them feel in control of their time off, and be more open to your own suggestions.
That way, it will no longer feel like ‘what mummy said, but what we want to do’.
This approach will give your kids specific things to look forward to, which will result in happier and smarter children.
Ask them: “What and what would you like to do this holiday?” and have them come up with 2-3 ideas for discussion.
To make the whole thing more fun, you can make a colorful sticky notes calendar of their holiday activities.
1. Play Games Or Solve Puzzles
If yours is not a compound where you feel safe enough to have them go outside as much as they’d want, turn to games and puzzles; they will entertain your child for hours unending.
Have the kids play a game with each other, such as Four-pics-one-word, Wordscapes, Twister, Monopoly, Clue, or Scrabble.
Luckily, most of these games can be played solo, or with company.
Just make sure the game difficulty level is age-appropriate.
2. Make DIY Home Decorations
Looking for an activity to harness your kids’ holiday spirit and creativity?
do homemade decorations with them.
And instead of going to a store to spend money on ‘craft supplies’, you can use basic household items like almanacs, pizza cartons, old CDs, plastic containers, and kitchen ingredients for inventive projects. Some fun decorations to try making are:
3. Discuss Current Affairs
Series of studies have shown that dialogue, is a powerful and often-overlooked means of teaching and learning.
Make a habit of discussing timely, relevant events from the news (or otherwise) with your children.
Just to reiterate, do your best to make the discussions age-appropriate.
By encouraging them to be aware of issues in the world, you are telling them that it’s okay to be curious, analyse, consider events from various angles, and air their views without fear or favour.
You’re teaching them to be more participatory.
Also Read: 5 Signs To Know It’s Time To Change Your Child’s School
The result of this is that you would have groomed their critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and raised them to be more responsible, engaged, and empathetic.
Who knows, you might learn something from them too!
4. Enroll Your kid(s) In A Summer Camp
You’ll find that these days, there’s a summer camp based for almost any interest/talent. You can ask your child what they’ll want to learn, based on what interests them.
Because whether they love to write, develop mobile apps, or learn new languages, there’s sure to be a class, team, or camp where they can learn more about their passions.
You just have to locate a centre in your area. Plus, it’s a fantastic way for them to meet new friends who also share their interests.
Even better, many schools offer summer camps or programs, so contact your child’s school to see if any camps or classes are available.
You can also use the internet to find camp opportunities for your kids and go with the pick that suits your needs.
5. Bake And cook New Recipes With Them
Children love anything involving food and fun, and teaching them to cook is a great way to get them involved in the kitchen.
As a way to keep them learning during this school holiday, you can pick out recipes they like, try new foods, and teach them all about measuring ingredients.
You’ll be amazed at how much excitement this particular exercise will bring them.
You can start off by making tasty treats like cookies, French toast, a banana smoothie, or pancakes.
6. Encourage Your Kids To Keep A Holiday Journal
Holiday journals are a great way for kids to groom their writing and reporting skills while also keeping track of all of the places they’ve visited and the fun things that they’ve done during the break.
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