How to Keep Child Active in Summer Break?

Learning can be fun! But how can parents ensure children enjoy their summer vacations without compromising on their learning and development? The first thing to bear in mind is, children need to enjoy the break and to do something different from school, but that doesn’t mean their learning needs to stop or that the school should provide work for them to do every day. Learning can happen anywhere and everywhere, and so much of children’s valuable experiences should happen as they explore the wider world around them

Ways to Keep Your Child Active in Summer-break

Children will need your ideas and encouragement, so here are a few ways to help them spend their vacation productively:

1. Reading: Reading is essential; guide them and encourage them to look at different books or genres like non-fiction material. Children must read and be read to, every day for at least 30 minutes. Their reading should encompass a variety of genres from newspapers and magazines to a quality fiction book, non-fiction material, crosswords, Sudoku, and others. [Read: How to Help Child Develop Reading-skills?]
2. Learn a new sport: Children should be encouraged to learn a new sport, skill or instrument where possible over the summer vacations because so much learning can happen this way. As a family, you could try something together i.e. archery, or badminton
3. Don’t Push them for tuition: Allow them to relax, have fun, mix socially and play with their friends – there is lots of learning in this too. Learning should happen without your child realizing it is happening!  Don’t simply engage a tutor and think this is the answer to your prayers. This will only work if your child has a particular subject or area that needs help, otherwise, it is a waste of your money and will just extinguish any natural enthusiasm your child has for learning and academic endeavors.
4. Do Something Purposeful: Aim to do something purposeful every day, be it a walk to the park to get some exercise, look at the trees, local wildlife, etc.  Be engaged with your children – ask them questions and answer their questions – don’t just switch off with a coffee, book or iPhone! Make the effort to take them around museums, read with them and ask them questions to assess their understanding. You could even test them on their time's tables (but in an informal way) and treat them to ice-cream as a reward
5. Choose Summer Camp Wisely: Don’t just book them into a summer camp but look for specialist camps that will teach them new skills and encourage the development of interests already explored.

The summer vacations are already in full swing as parents battle to keep their children entertained during the long break. Six weeks may seem like a long time away from school, but if the time is used properly and if parents have the time to spend it with their children, it can be a great time to nurture the mind.

We’d love to hear ideas on keeping children busy during summer vacations! Tell us in the comments below.