The school holidays are almost upon us (primary schoolers have one last week to go), which means that your child will soon be spending most of his or her time at home! It’s six glorious weeks of holidays, and your child should spend at least one week playing, having fun and throwing things at their siblings.
But how about the other five weeks? The holidays are a good time for your child to pick up a new skill, revise subjects that they’re not as strong at, or to just explore interests. With so many options, what exactly do you choose? Here are five tips for making the best use of your school holidays.
1. Set an objective for the holidays
It’s not possible for you to attend every holiday workshop available – your child will burn out, and so will your pockets. So take a step back and think about what your objective for this holidays is. Remember that the holidays are a time to relax and recharge, so make sure that you don’t pack it so full of activities that it’s no different from a school day!
The key word here is focus. Don’t try to accomplish too many things at once!
2. For academics, look at one subject at a time
Is your child faring poorly in certain subjects? If so, the holidays are a good time to catch up on key concepts and knowledge. It’s difficult to do so during school term since the curriculum just steamrolls ahead, meaning your child has to cope with learning new topics while still trying to master previous ones.
The holidays affords you the time to focus on just a few problem areas, instead of having to deal with multiple topics at once. The most important thing is to focus on one subject at a time, like English, Maths, or Science. If you try to juggle multiple subjects at once, then it’s going to be no different from school, so remember to focus!
3. The holidays are a great time to pursue non-academic interests
If your child has done well for his exams, then this is a good time to explore other interests he might have. Holiday workshops offer a chance to try out something he or she has been interested in, without requiring a long term commitment. They can try a beginner’s course in coding, for example, and if they decide they like it, you can look into regular classes to nurture your child’s talent in it.
Don’t be scared to choose something off the beaten track! Your child is still young, and exposing them to as many things as possible helps widen their horizons for the future.
4. You can’t go wrong with coding classes
Everyone’s talking about coding and programming these days – even Google is running free coding classes for underprivileged students. That’s because technology is become more and more pervasive in our world today, and it will be ubiquitous by the time your kids enter the workforce. Not everyone can be a master programmer like Mark Zuckerberg, but it’s important to understand technology so that you can make the most effective use of it. It’s like understanding how a car works – you might not be able to build a car, but at least you won’t get scammed when you bring your car to the mechanic for repairs. Similarly, understanding how coding works will help your child to better utilise the technology around him or her.
5. Language skills are life skills
If your child is familiar with programming already, consider improving his or her language skills. Creative writing programmes aren’t just expensive literature lessons – they teach your child how to express himself or herself better. In a world where “revert” is constantly abused in emails, wouldn’t you want your child to be able to communicate clearly and effectively?
Public speaking courses are also useful because the older you are, the more presentations you have to make. Many people think that public speaking is an innate talent, but it’s actually a skill that can be improved with mindful practice. Getting this head start early means that your child will stand out as a confident orator, which translates into better opportunities in the future.
6. Remember to enjoy the holidays!
But don’t forget that the holidays are meant to be a break from school. Let them have the time to enjoy their childhood and play with their mobile devices. They’re only young once, and if you can take them on a holiday to visit different parts of the world, it’s also a learning experience to see how people have in different cultures.
Most importantly, don’t stress out over the holidays. Nobody’s being tested on anything, so don’t pressure yourself to squeeze every last minute from it. Take a breather, relax, and let down your hair. You’ll be surprised at how much your kids can entertain themselves, too!
Holiday Workshop Recommendations
Here are some recommendations for holiday workshops that your primary schooler might like.
Marcus Goh runs Write-Handed, a creative writing studio. At the same time, he teaches and writes curriculum for English and Literature for Secondary at The Keys Academy. He has been a specialist tutor for English and Literature (Secondary) since 2005, and also writes the Grade Expectations column for Yahoo!.
Adrian Kuek runs Joyous Learning, an enrichment centre that specialises in English, Mathematics, Science and Creative Writing for Primary. He previously served as the academic director of one of Singapore’s largest enrichment centre chains for over 7 years, and also writes the Grade Expectations column for Yahoo!.
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