Activities for School Holidays

Everyone needs to recharge once in a while. Without recharging or even resting for a bit to get away from a busy schedule, may it be work or school, one can suffer from a potential burnout that can also affect your productivity and overall well-being. This is also the same with students as school holidays are also an important time for them to recharge from their busy and challenging school life.

However, parents would wonder: Do I need to take them on a vacation to help them relax and recharge? What if they forget all the things they learned in class after the holidays? These are pretty common questions that parents may think to themselves. But the truth is, parents, don’t have to spend money on expensive vacations to help their children recharge. There are plenty of activities they can do at home or without spending a lot. As such, there are also various activities they can try to help students retain what they learned in school and continue learning without it feeling they are back in school already. We have a few suggestions for activities that will help parents keep track of their children’s learning on holidays while also helping them recuperate and relax.

Activities to develop and nurture Math skills

Math is a very important subject. Many subjects also find it to be pretty difficult and challenging. This is why it’s important to develop and nurture your child’s Math skills and help them retain the knowledge they have learned from school. One of the best ways to develop and teach Math skills is to apply what they have learned in real-life situations such as with the activities below:

• Helping with grocery shopping

Taking your child along with you during grocery shopping will not only help with boosting their confidence but can also help in developing and using the Math skills they have. Of course, this would vary greatly between child and another one, as well as the Math skills they already possess and the level they are in. For example, if your child is a bit younger, you can ask them to count the number of items you have on the cart before moving to more complex questions that would involve calculating and using the basic Mathematical operations. When they are older and their skills and learning have also advanced, you can ask them to calculate the discount percentages you may enjoy for your purchases or have them compare products based on their prices. You can even ask your child to tally up the total bill before ringing up the items in your cart so you don’t go over the budget.

Not only will grocery shopping help with your child’s Math skills, but it can also serve as lessons for them when they are older and they have to do their own grocery shopping. As such, this can also become bonding moments between a child and their parents.

• Helping with cooking or baking

If you also like to cook or bake, this can also be one activity that will help them with their Math skills as it involves measurements. Ask your child to help you measure the ingredients as well as other cooking tasks such as stirring or mixing in baking. These activities can also help in introducing the concepts of units to your child as well as help them with improving their mental Math skills. Again, this can also help them in the future as it not only will help them use and develop their skills but they will also gain new ones which can help them in the future.

Activities to develop and nurture Science skills

Like Math, Science can also be a challenging subject for students, especially with its many branches it. However, there are also many activities to help nurture Science skills:

• Taking a stroll

Science is very much present everywhere and taking a stroll in the park or in any green area can increase your child’s curiosity with their surroundings and the Science behind it. Ask and entertain questions about the subject while taking a walk with your child. You can help them identify the animals in the park or help them in understanding the parts of a plant. You can also do other activities that will help them understand the objects they see such as scavenger hunts.

• Home Science experiments

Science experiments are not only learning activities that will help your child with understanding and developing their scientific skills but it is also exciting. Of course, there are many home Science experiments you can do together with your child that will spark their interest in Science. You can always look up the Internet for DIY’s or you can buy ones that are sold in stores. If there are a lot of family members, you can even hold a little Science fair and challenge family members to create the best at-home Science experiment. You will not only be spending time with your child but it can be an all-family affair that will help in retaining the knowledge they got from school and applying it through these experiments.

Activities that develop and nurture writing skills

Writing may seem to take a backseat with all the other challenging and difficult subjects students face every day but it is not something that should be taken for granted. Effective and developed writing skills can also affect a child’s academic life.

• Writing holiday cards to family members

The holidays can be a time for recharging for students but it doesn’t mean they can’t pick up a pen and paper during those days. With writing holiday cards to family members, it wouldn’t be as tedious as writing for homework. And yet, it can still improve a child’s writing skills to convey their message effectively. You can ask the entire family to write down holiday cards and their messages to everyone. As such, you can also ask the family what they want to read in the card so your child can include it in theirs. This will not only help their writing skills but also teach them to coordinate with the people around them. Additionally, this will also help them in feeling accomplished when they have created something that everybody loves.

• Writing a letter to Santa

Aside from writing holiday cards with the family, you can also ask your child to write a letter to Santa. It will help them improve their handwriting and also effectively gather their thoughts on paper. Maybe this can even help them in trying out writing in their spare time. Aside from that, it will also help in improving their spelling and grammar. And it could also help parents get an idea of what their child wants for Christmas, which is a huge perk for this activity for the parents’ part.

Activities that develop and nurture reading skills

Reading is a vital part of a student’s life and something that can greatly influence all other subjects as well. If a child is an effective reader and has mastered their reading skills, they will have no trouble comprehending what they have read.

• Reading with your child

Reading to your child every night can help improve their reading skills as well as strengthen their relationship with you. If you have a younger child, you can read the story to them out loud and point out the images to help guide them through the story. You can also ask them questions about the story as well as answer theirs. This will help them in better comprehend the story and not just listen to you.

If you have an older child, encourage them to pick up a book to read or read with them during the break. This will help ensure that their reading skills will continue to develop and improve as well as widen their vocabulary. Encourage them to finish the book before school starts again. Additionally, discuss the book with them. Don’t just give them a book and leave it at that. Ask them about their opinions with regard to the story. How did they find the characters? Are there lessons they have learned from the story?

• Engage in word games

Children love games but instead of getting them video games, why not give them board games instead. There are many board games that they can play with that will help keep their mind sharp and learn new things. There are many board games to choose from that can strengthen their reading skills and widen their vocabularies such as Scrabble and Word Factory. You can have your child read the instructions of the game and have them analyze it. Aside from board games, there are also other word games that your child can engage in. These are also games that can be played by the whole family.

Conclusion

It’s understandable that children may only want to have fun and leisure during their holiday breaks. They do need relaxation time as well. But this can also be transformed into a learning experience without it becoming like an extra chore or feeling like homework. These activities can be used to strengthen and develop the skills they have gained in school. If these are not the activities your child particularly likes, there are also other activities to choose from that can become learning experiences for them but wouldn’t feel like they are already back in school.

Carelle

Carelle is a teacher who has been through the ups and downs of the teacher and learner life. She wishes for every learner to gain educational satisfaction that will help embody the people they want to be in the future.

Activities for School Holidays

Activities to develop and nurture Math skills

• Helping with grocery shopping

• Helping with cooking or baking

Activities to develop and nurture Science skills

• Taking a stroll

• Home Science experiments

Activities that develop and nurture writing skills

• Writing holiday cards to family members

• Writing a letter to Santa

Activities that develop and nurture reading skills

• Reading with your child

• Engage in word games

Conclusion

Carelle

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