As summer holidays arrive, one thought on many parents’ minds is: what do you have planned for your child while they are home from school? Whether you are dealing with a pre-schooler or a teenager, here are some tips that will keep your kid occupied.
Sit down with the kids and work out a schedule that they can stick to. It may sound rigid, but it teaches the kids how to manage their time efficiently.
• Discuss what they enjoy doing, including plans with their friends and work out how much time they need for socialising during a week (or on specific days).
• Give the kids set chores and household projects. For tweens it can be the simple task of organising their rooms and their clothes. For clothes that no longer fit, have them box and prepare them for donation. You can even have them help arrange the courier and liaise with the charity to accept the preloved items.
• Don’t forget to include active time for physical sports as well as time for them to do quiet activities.
Scheduling may be harder for the preschooler, but you still need to give them a sense of responsibility. It could be a daily task of cleaning up their play area while an adult assists. Or help with household chores like folding laundry or assist in preparing dinner.
A summer holiday will not be complete without kids hanging out with their peers. Camps are a great way to engage your children and potentially find a hobby. With most camps running on a bi-weekly basis, you can let your child have fun with different activities. Whether it is STEAM camp, coding, martial arts or performing arts this is a wonderful way to get them excited to explore.
Parents of high schoolers can encourage them to volunteer in a work environment where they can slowly put what they learned from school to practice. They also get exposure to a variety of careers. You can consider enroling them in summer workshops to learn cooking, or the arts.
If you have a young toddler who might be too young to join a camp, you can enrol them in mummy&me classes where either you or your ayi can take the child. Alternatively, if you are already enrolled in full-time school, most schools provide full-day summer immersion programmes for preschoolers.
Working parents should use this period to take a family holiday. If you have half day summer hours, plan a long weekend getaway. If you have an older child, have them plan the trip and help budget the expenses.
Likewise, if you have a very young child, use your half days wisely and plan an outing every week. Whether it’s a trip to the nearest park, a museum or an outdoor coffee date, squeeze in extra quality time with the little human before they grow up.
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