We all like to take a break, our kids included, but how can we make sure they are not idle when they are on a break from school or tuition? Whilst this time off is crucial to help children relax after a busy school term, it is also important for them to have mental stimulation. Yes we want them to enjoy afternoons at the pool and bike rides in the park but they shouldn’t completely abandon their studies. Luckily for parents, the team at ICR have plenty of suggestions to ensure your child continues to learn over the school holidays.
Read on for tips on how to ensure your son or daughter gets the most out of their term break.
A Holiday Journal
Writing for fun or indeed about fun will help your child dramatically improve their vocabulary. It is also an excellent way to help them learn how to express thoughts and articulate their feelings. They can record what they do each day, the things they get up to with their friends, their vacation experiences or anything new they’ve learnt. As an additional suggestion maybe recommend they write half a page in their own language and use the other half to write the same passage in English. This journal will also come in very handy when they go back to school as a resource for essay work they will inevitably have to do.
Turn Excursions into Educational Trips
Visit museums, the zoo or the even the cinema. Ask your child to write about or discuss their trip and what they have learnt. During the discussions try eliciting their thoughts and feelings on the experience, positive and or negative. Another great option is the library and libraries have the added benefit of being the perfect place to get more information on what’s going on in your neighbourhood.
Sign up for Duolingo
Why not get your child to use some of their time spent on their computer using Duolingo? It’s a language app that is easy to use and highly interactive. There are lots of options when it comes to learning languages online, but Duolingo is ahead of the pack due to the fact it is easy to use and the wide variety of activities it offers. We’re lucky enough to live in a world where technology can advance our education so let’s use any opportunity made available to us. What’s more, it’s free!
Reading
It goes without saying that you should ensure your child reads over term break. Try and set some reading goals for them with a treat or a reward when they reach the specific goal so they have something to aim for. It is absolutely essential however that they read something they are genuinely interested in. Remember all reading is worthwhile, even if it is not specifically academic.
Board games
Board games like Scrabble and Boggle are both fun and educational. They will come in particularly handy on those rainy days by providing hours of mentally stimulating entertainment. Why not try suggesting for example they get double points for words in English, it’s an extra incentive to achieve. Get the whole family involved if you can.
Tongue Twisters
And finally, Tongue twisters. Tongue Twisters are fantastic, they help exercise facial muscles, they aid students understanding of sounds and most of all they are fun. Every day over the break pick a new tongue twister to challenge your little learner. Even better practice the twisters with them – it will be fun for the whole family.
These are just a few of the recommendations we give our students to make sure they keep their learning on track over the term break or holidays. We hope they help and that your holidays are full of learning as well as laughter
Happy Term Break and have fun!!