Wellbeing News

Thank you to our wonderful community for your continued support and partnership with us this year. It has been a big year of growth, learning and challenges. We hope that this Christmas period brings about a time of joy, hope and recovery! Below are some ideas to help keep the family engaged and having fun over the holiday period. 

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. 

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.

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 encourages 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.

Make reading part of the routine/ Visit your local library

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.

We wish all our families and school community a very Merry Christmas and a safe and happy new year! 

Kathy Blythe 

Student Wellbeing Leader