How To Help Your Child Make The Best of Summer Holidays

Summer vacations… One and a half month of bliss… Respite from the morning madness – waking up, rushing about and getting ready for school – not just for students, but parents, too! The very fact that your kids get relief from the chaos that school life usually becomes is enough to get you planning a variety of things to do over these couple of months.

You make plans that spread out over the coming vacations. But, somehow, very few of them materialise. But as a determined parent, you can choose to go that extra mile and make summer vacations memorable for your children. Read on to know how:

1. Make weekly plans.

Before you begin planning the entire vacation out in one go, know for a fact that there is a high probability it will not work out. The most practical way to go about it is to plan in installments and stick to plans diligently.
 

2. Introduce them to books.

Acquaintances made with books in childhood turn into the most beautiful, lifelong friendships. If your children are not already an avid readers, introduce them to the world of fiction, novels, poetry, biographies, encyclopedias and more. Books are not just able companions for when you spare time at hand, but they help shape personalities, and in some way or the other, character as well. Show them the magic of reading, one book at a time. Your kids will thank you later.

For assistance on what books are suitable for students in primary and secondary classes, you may refer to:

Top 5 Must-Read Authors For This Summer

3. Teach your kids things their schools might not.

A lot of us complain about how the skills most essential to our daily survival are not inculcated in children, early on in their academic life. Take on that responsibility, and make it interesting for your kids too! You could take up skills like budgeting (keeping in mind their level of understanding), importance of time, civic sense in all aspects of life, etc. You could also infuse their academic lessons into these activities. For example, if they are already learning how to count or add/subtract, give them budgets and tasks on a daily or weekly basis. This way, they know how to manage money, and revise their lessons too!
 

4. Get them closer to nature.

Unbelievable as it may seem, the coming generations are likely to be even more isolated from nature and its wonders when they grow up. In the midst of technological revolution, knowing the earthly elements, if you will, has become a rarity. Take time out to make them understand how nature works. Have tasks and activities around conservation of resources like water. Go out for small nature walks to nearby gardens or parks. Not only would you be encouraging responsible citizens for the future, but you could learn an extra thing or two, as well!
 

5. Have time set aside for crazy fun!

No, before you freak out, we don’t actually mean for you to let your kids go wild and crazy. All we are saying is, the whole vacation need not be learning time, however fun you might have made it seem. Take out weekends, when as many members of the family are easy to get hold of, and spend some good time together. Not to sound preachy, but these little activities of bonding actually go far in making better individuals out of kids. Have movie sessions, elaborate cooking sessions where children can help cook stuff (and later feel super good about it), picnics with friends in the backyard or the lawn nearby. The list is endless. So is the fun quotient.

Now that you have some sort of an idea about what you can do, go ahead and have a great time with your kids this summer vacation! And make the most of it!