Student Wellbeing News
5 Ways to Keep Kids Learning During the School Holidays
By Melbourne Child Psychology & School Psychology Services, Port Melbourne
The holidays are a time for rest, relaxation, family time and celebrations.
But learning doesn’t have to stop when the school gates close…
You can help foster a love of learning in your children over the holidays. And they won’t even know it!
Below are some great school holiday activities that get kids engaged, curious and excited about learning. Which will help them to embrace their education once their back at school, and the value of learning for the rest of their lives.
1. Go to museums.
Take your kids to museums and galleries of all types, and encourage questions and discussions that will ignite their curiosity.
It not only provides the perfect opportunity for family bonding, it can also help to boost creativity, develop problem solving skills, support active inquisition and a love of learning.
2. Let them be bored.
Yes, you read right again!
The holidays can often be a constant battle of finding new and interesting things to keep kids entertained. But there’s a lot to be said for leaving them to their own devices, and letting them just be. Children of the digital age are used to having constant entertainment and instant gratification. So removing these distractions allows some much-needed time for quiet reflection, a wandering mind, and developing creative strategies to keep them entertained.
The best type of boredom can be found in the great outdoors, where they can investigate the natural environment. It also encouraged imaginative play, which helps kids to express their creativity. Encourage kids to go for walks, sit in the park, and experience the world through their own eyes — even for a few minutes a day — instead of through their phone screen.
3. Make reading part of the routine.
Sometimes regular routines go out the window when school stops. But you can still keep a sense of routine, and important daily rituals, all through the holidays. Reading is one of the best forms of learning for all kids (and that includes reading to them).
Younger kids develop language skills, improve literacy, and put their imagination to good use, while for older kids, fiction books can further support their writing skills, and through non-fiction they can learn about topics that interest them that they may or may not study in the school environment. Reading can also aid relaxation and reduce stress and anxiety, increase empathy, and promote good sleeping habits.
4. Discuss current events.
Discuss timely, relevant events from the media with your children. Of course, your discussions should be age appropriate, but you will find that there are appropriate news-worthy topics to discuss with young children. By encouraging them to be aware of issues in the world, to analyse and engage with them, and to consider events from various angles, you’re helping to develop their critical thinking skills, to problem solve, and become responsible, engaged and empathetic. And who knows, you might learn something from them too! So let your kids enjoy the holidays — but show them that learning can be one of the most fun holiday activities, too.
Andrea Wilberger
Learning Diversity Leader