10th July 2017 1:00
By Blue Tutors
Stay active
Studies have shown that in recent years, as kids spend more and more time in front of laptops and televisions, the summer holidays have now becoming damaging to children’s health. Before, children would spend the summer outdoors and there are great benefits to making sure physical activity is part of a child’s routine over the holidays.
Broaden perspectives with new experiences
It is important to keep not just the body but the mind active. The most popular choice to broaden a child’s viewpoint over the holidays is through travel, experiencing a new place, culture and even language. However, travel is off the cards for many families, but there are many less expensive ways to broaden a child’s perspective and get them away from their devices. Reading is a great way to build empathy and learn about other cultures as well as strengthening literacy and language skills. Learning a new instrument, trying an art class or picking up a sport are all great ways to keep a child’s brain and body active over the summer. Younger children can build on their creativity by invent a new game, or put on a play, while for those nearing the end of highschool, work experience or volunteering at this stage will pay off in university applications and later when looking for a job, as well as bring in some spending money.
Reconnect with studies
To minimise the inevitable loss over the summer and make sure you start the new year on track, students should aim to dedicate at least a small portion of their summer to revision and refreshing. While it is not a popular choice of holiday pastime, it is important to maintain the areas they are strong in, but more so to strengthen their weaker areas, as particularly subjects like maths only get harder each year and build on previously learned concepts. Even a couple of sessions practicing maths before the new year can make a big difference come September.