Playing in a splash pool, craving for chilled watermelon juice and cold smoothies and literally wearing next to nothing. Children during summer get extra hyper due to umpteen reasons. They don’t have to study and prepare for their exams/tests and the whole day what they do is play and relax. The endless play dates and sleepovers will keep them busy and away from all the hardwork they did last couple of months, getting geared up for yet another assessment of their academic year. So summer vacation is the time which each kid looks forward every year. The bucket list including many fun things to do would be mentally prepared by each child. Learning best football hacks or grooming their favourite dolls, visiting a zoo or going to the library each day for a new book…innumerable such stuff for which the parents will have no heart to say no.
But the trouble for the parents arises when they try too hard to keep their children occupied in a productive manner. The trouble multiplies when the parents are a working couple. Coping up with their work stress, finishing up with their household chores and with that comes the biggest duty, which is engaging their children in some activities while they are away for their work. The days when school is functional, children spend their majority of their hours at the school, leaving them very less time after the school hours. Once they come back, the routine continues with completion of homework and attending the hobby classes if any. By the time they end all these, the only time left would be the time to have supper and hit the bed for yet another eventful day.
So kids too nowadays follow a strict regime which is the common scene prevalent everywhere. Being multifaceted and acquiring various skills and talents doesn’t come as a surprise as the present generation kids are way too ahead of time. They are fast learners with a great IQ and have better understanding in everything due to the elevated curiosity levels that comes as a gift from their upbringing which is full of competition due to comparison. We parents expect our child to be a rank holder and an ace athlete who has extravagant acting skills due to his liking towards music which comes as a bonus when he attends the dance classes every weekend. We like our child to be an all-rounder who masters every art in this world to later work hard to decorate his/her high profile designation, which just includes managing people through staring at the laptop screen. This is the worst irony, but hey…this actually happens in the society we live in.
Hence, with so much to pickup in such tender age with a delicate mind, a child craving for the “ME TIME” is definitely not a crime. Summer vacation gives an opportunity for the kids to be themselves, the freedom to live their life on their terms and do all those things which they dreamt of doing once their vacations arrive.
But what are the things which will keep them on their toes and also give them pleasure equally? Here’s a fantastic list of activities which can make your little one’s eyes getting lit up at the same time, giving you a satisfaction of them being productive during their fun times.
- Building a tent in backyard and playing inside it. You will be surprised to know that they lose the count of their time.
- DIY stuff – jewelry out of beads, making bookmarks, making decorative things out of newspapers, car out of carton boxes, and stuffed toys out of torn clothes. The internet biggie YouTube for sure will come to your rescue at times.
- Making a scrapbook by pasting pictures. The pictures could be anything. The places you love to travel, food you like to eat and your favourite things to do… Just give them a book, scissors, some glue and the old newspapers and Voila! They are good to go.
- Taking them to shop groceries and vegetables with you and asking them to choose the vegetable and fruits for the house. This will actually get them the idea of the expenses we parents face every month. This is a great way to teach our kid to only buy that stuff which is necessary and curtail those which may go heavy on the pockets or avoid those which might not be really essential.
- Giving them a list of duties which their parents do and perform a role play of their parents by actually taking up responsibilities in doing daily chores. This could include watering the plants, cleaning the house, doing dishes and finishing up with the laundry. This is the best way to make them understand that being adult is not as easy as they think!
- Reading the newspaper and writing down some of the important headlines which are the prime stories of the day. This will keep their GK intact.
- Summer camps are the best source of utilizing the precious time. Enroll your child at nearby camps where they can make new friends, learn some funky things and indulge in fun activities like dance, music and art.
New Trends In Summer Camps – Edustoke
- Ask your child to make a special summer diary each year to know the things he/she did and learnt during these precious and happy days of the year. This will make them eager to learn new things and make their summer journals more attractive and fulfilling every year.
These activities hold no value when the parents do not show their involvement by joining hands with them or appreciating their efforts at the end of each task. Take time everyday to sit with your child and asking them to tell all those things which they did today to keep themselves busy. Share your daily routine with them. Tell them how much of a responsible thing it is to be a parent. Advice them to spend less time on the electronic gadgets as they might have to use those in abundance once they outgrow their childhood. Build a healthy relationship with your little buddies with care, trust and truth. This will create a healthy growing environment for your child who would grow up to be that one of a kind human who respects the true values of life.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Lifestyle And Parenting – Edustoke
