“Trouble springs from idleness and grievous toil from needless ease”
Benjamin Franklin
It is not uncommon for parents to have anxieties on how to engage their children during holidays; most especially the long, seemingly endless summer holiday.
The anecdote to this situation is simply to plan ahead! It may seem to be a somewhat simplistic solution. However, it also is the tried and tested way to overcome the exasperation that the holidays may bring.
[How to keep children busy over the Summer holiday]
In planning ahead, the first primary consideration should be the needs of our children. Through our interactions, observations or even through information given over time, some answers might be obvious.
For those answers that may not be glaringly obvious, parents would have to turn to their children for guidance.
You might wonder why ask especially when some children may retort ‘nothing’ in response to the question. A clear example is my daughter when asked what she wanted to do during the almost three-month holiday and she said she wanted to sleep!!!
Asking serves as a good guide in knowing how their minds work. It also helps to initiate conversations where their input is sought in matters pertaining to them. This also fosters a sense of inclusion on their part.
When a child knows what he or she wants to do, we can also provide a good balance on letting them know what they also need. We all know as parents that we need to keep them occupied purposefully.
Our focus should be more on their human interactions, connection, communication and less of the gadgets and indoor entertainment systems. There ought to be more of planned outdoor type of activities and less of the sedentary indoor lifestyle.
It is important that they have a structure and a routine even during the holiday as we continue to guide them rightly so there’s no opening for restlessness that might attract negativity.
First, we need to set goals on what is actually needed in the following areas:
House Chores
Children need to learn basic house chores. A roster can be developed for age appropriate chores like setting the table, putting on and off lights at appropriate times, tidying up rooms, washing dishes, taking out garbage. This is a good time for the younger children to assist the domestic help and the older children to be involved in home affairs by running errands in and out of the house as well as baby sitting.
Can chores teach children responsibility?]
Skill acquisitions
The relevance of this goal cannot be underestimated. Vocational skills which include but are not limited to floristry, carpentry, technician, hairstylist and catering.
About thirty years ago, my Dad had a discussion with my siblings and I. He said we must learn vocational skills and a foreign language each in addition to our academic pursuit as he foresees a scenario where our university qualifications will not suffice to remain relevant for the challenges ahead. This point of view is apposite in these times than ever before.
[Children should learn new skills on holiday – Osinbajo advises]
Character formation
This involves the utilization of activity based camps for the younger children. The essence of the activities in these places is geared towards teaching the children the importance of timeliness, patience, discipline, team work, resilience, independence and leadership.
Internships or volunteering
Must not be ruled out for the older children who must have a sense of purpose, duty and responsibility.
In addition, this period should also be seen as an added advantage for those that have very restricted schedules and would therefore be challenged in spending prolonged quality time with their children. By taking leave off work for a period could help in fostering tighter bonds between parents and children. It will also create the opportunity to take a break and spend time together.
[Summer holidays – The perfect time to start a journal]
Vacation
More often than not, the response I get from children when asked what they are doing for the holiday is that they are travelling. This is good as it is part of education and acquisition of knowledge. The important thing is that children should visit places of interest and also engage in fun based activities.
Summer Camps
There are also camps that they can be registered on daily or residential basis that will keep them busy. Check our Summer Camps Lagos 2018 Guide for suitable options
Spend the vacation as a family!
This is usually when parents also get to know more about their children. They also get to know what they can or cannot do especially when there is no domestic help around. The practice of fathers planning a family vacation without been part of holiday should be totally discouraged! They must find time to join in at some point.
[Money matters – Planning a family holiday?]
Once we are certain of the goals we want our children to achieve over the holiday, we need to carry out our research on where these services would best be provided. As much as we want to get the children busy, we must also not lose sight of their safety, protection, general well-being, continuous interaction and our communication with them. Getting feed-back from them and from the people they are engaged with at their respective places of engagement should be entertained.
All these activities can be put under an umbrella as we try to achieve a flexible and balanced purpose of leisure, skills, character formation, knowledge acquisition and even good and sound sleep! After all it’s holiday time!
The HOLIDAY period serves as a very good time for we parents to know more about our children while we train, bond, connect, and have good fun before they return to the teachings from their places of learning as well face the rigours of another academic session.
In the meantime let’s continue to develop on your relationships and find time to
Live, love and Learn….!
Contributed © Mrs Abimbola Somolu