The December holidays are a time for us all to clear our minds, relax and let the stress of the year fade away. Kids have movies, games and friends to hang out with but don’t let the opportunity of learning and being productive slip by. Don’t let the bad habits creep in, and make getting back into school routines more difficult in the new year. This is valuable time for kids to step back from the year, that was, and work on themselves. They will need some help with time management and structuring a balanced holiday that will help them build momentum for the year ahead. We’ve got a few ideas on making the most of your child’s school holidays.
1. Reflect on the year that was
Get a piece of paper, and draw 3 columns. The 1st column should have all the things that were great about the year. The 2nd column should be all the things that didn’t go well. The last column should be how the year ahead can be better and what they can work on. This allows them to reflect on the good and bad, and also create goals to focus on next year.
2. Learn with video
With the vast amount of learning series and documentaries on YouTube and Netflix, you can pick any categories to learn about. Here are some good educational resources to start with:
YouTube Channels
Netflix documentaries
Ted Talks
- 3 rules to spark learning | Ramsey Musallam
- Diana Laufenberg: How to learn? From mistakes
- New experiments in self-teaching | Sugata Mitra
3. Improve your physical health
With schools closed and more time to ourselves, this is when your kids can go to bed early and get the most amount of quality sleep. Make sure they are not on their phones or TVs too late, so they can wake up feeling more refreshed. This is also the perfect time to exercise regularly with family sports like tennis or soccer. Get your younger kids into yoga, which will help them build balance and isn’t as strenuous as running around outside. Juggling is also a fun and easy hobby to get them into. Start them off with juggling 2 oranges and see how well they do, and if they enjoy it.
4. Teach them about the world around us
During the year, we don’t often get the chance to teach our kids about how the world works. Why some foods are better than others, how we get the water in our taps, how taxes and municipalities work or where do the items from shops come from. You can also teach them about money management. The next time they demand a toy that they don’t need, and you say no, they’ll have a better understanding of how money works and why you can’t buy a toy a day.
You can tell them about your family history and the and traditions you want to pass on. You should also take any opportunity you get to teach your kids about careers and what different jobs entail.
Why not discuss current events? There’s so much happening right now and they’re bound to have an opinion about topics in sport, the environment or even politics. Tell them what’s happening and see what they have to say. Be encouraging and show them that what they think matters. Use this time off to give them the most insights into our working world as you can, to set them up as young adults.
5. Pick up new skills or improve on current ones
Some new skills to introduce to your kids are; cooking, negotiation, conversation skills, positive thinking, fixing things (replacing a light bulb or stitching up holes in clothes etc.), drawing/painting or self-defence. Being outside in the garden, to plant flowers or remove weeds can be great to soak up some sun and learn about nature. If you have a clear night sky, you could do stargazing and teach them about the different star signs and constellations. No matter how young your kids are, they will eventually have a phone and probably want to take photos with it. You can teach them about good lighting, different camera angles and having a good background, these are just a few basics to expand on. Some skills they can continue to work on are their reading, writing and spelling.
6. Get rid of the trash
Throughout the year, you and the kids have probably accumulated papers, toys or general “stuff” that you won’t be needing in the new year. Take out the trash. Whatever you haven’t used in a while, will most likely not be used in the future. Clear your surroundings and your mind.
7. Build healthy habits
Bad habits like sleeping late, catch on very quickly. Here are some great healthy habits to build during the schools holidays:
- Drinking more water. Have a bottle filled, which they can drink throughout the day. You can make the water more enticing with slices of strawberry, mint or cucumber.
- Reading before bedtime. Instead of staring at their phones, they can get in at least 15-20 minutes of reading.
- Journaling. Keeping a journal will help them figure out their emotions and strengthen their communication skills.
8. Ask them what they’d like to do
Do your kids love dancing, going to museums or hiking? Show them that learning is fun and well worth it. But also give them time to enjoy their holiday the way they want to.
Lastly…
Don’t feel overwhelmed by everything you want to do. Pick out the most relevant to your family and develop a realistic plan for the holidays. The kids might be on holiday but their brains aren’t. Just like going to the gym, you need to exercise your brain regularly. Help them stay accustomed to analytical thinking and problem solving so when they get back to school they can easily pick up where they left off.
Make sure to check our Discover page for more inspiration!
Resources:
https://www.daniel-wong.com/2015/11/09/productive-things-to-do-during-school-holidays/