Summer Holidays – how to keep children occupied

It is that time of the year that school children (and some parents too!) eagerly look forward to - two whole months of vacation! No waking up early in the mornings and no rigid schedule to be followed; no catching the bus and no classes to attend.   This is the best part of any child’s life - totally carefree and completely liberated!

While this may be so, parents during this two-month break have to learn to manage their children’s time well.   They will have to think of ways of engaging them in a meaningful manner during the holidays.  It is great that children can relax without adhering to strict schedules, at the same time, they should not while away their time watching meaningless television programmes all through the day. 

So as parents, what can we do?  A lot of things actually. 

• -          Get the children to play with their friends – this will help them develop good social behavior. 
• -          Get them to help you around the house.  Small jobs/chores like laying the table before every meal, cleaning their own plates / clothes, putting the garbage out, watering the plants, helping in spring cleaning (cleaning windows, furniture, cupboards, etc), folding their own clothes and arranging neatly in their shelves.  These activities will not only help them learn but will also make them responsible and help them to take care of their belongings.  And it teaches them the value of labour.
• -          Get them to take up a hobby or sport– music, dance, drawing/sketching, pottery, carpentry - anything that interests them.
• -          Get them to cultivate the habit of reading.  Get them books from a lending library or you could also buy from a second-hand book store.  This is one habit that will help them in all phases of life.    
• -          Involve them in your holiday plans.  Encourage them to read up about the places you plan to visit and make them write their experiences after the travel. 

Thus, as parents and care-givers, we need to inculcate certain habits and responsibilities in our children.  The summer vacation is the best time to do this.  Let us spend time with our kids and enjoy the holiday!    

Lawrence High School, located at HSR layout, Bangalore, focuses on educating children with traditional values to adapt and excel in the world. To know more about Lawrence school, please visit the website http://lawrenceschool.in/ and join us at our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/pages/Lawrence-School/