For kids, the sound of an extended holiday will always be celebrated because they get more freedom from normal academic activities and get to spend more time with their family and friends.
However as a parent, you are left with little or no option on what to do with your kids during those long holidays, and this is a thing of concern because longer breaks from school can cause some form of disorder in homes, or it could mean more extra work for you because you have kids around.
Children and teenagers are likely to destroy home appliances, pick up a fight with a friend, and many other things can occur. These are part of the stress parents go through during long holidays.
As a parent, you must know some strategies for engaging your child during those long breaks without causing any damage to your kid’s mental health.
This article will throw more light on how you can engage your child if they are on a long break.
Here are some tips for you:
Maintain a Normal Schedule during the Long Holiday
Sometimes it’s quite tempting to change your kid’s schedule because there isn’t any academic calendar to follow. Some parents may even allow their kids to stay late at night because they have no vital engagement the next day.
However, some of these activities may end up deforming their attitude in the long run. Keeping their routine even while they are on holiday will give them an excellent attitude to work as they grow up in the long run.
Daily schedules such as eating appropriately and at the right time, sleeping during the set bedtime, and performing other house chores as required will build them up to the responsibility.
As a concerned parent, you can plan with your kid’s on how to achieve maximum results during their long holidays. Set up a time for reading, or assignment, family talk/fun time, the roster for chores, mealtime, and bedtime. Enforce this new routine and ensure you remind your kids of their specific roles per day.
Oversee every activity of your child
The long holiday isn’t the time to keep your eyes off your children. Instead, it’s a time to pay close attention to their growth and well-being, especially for kids between the ages of 2–15.
Determine their daily activities and give them options, for example, give them limited options on TV shows to watch. Check out on the TV show they’ll choose and teach them valuable lessons to learn from those shows.
Observe other possible options that interest your kids and help them plan a good learning experience that works best. Extreme care must be taken, especially on teenagers with anxiety disorder and autism.
Enroll your kids for online classes
While school gates may be shut down, online classes are still very much available for learning. Use the internet to your advantage during the long breaks. Online courses will keep your kids engaged before they resume back to school activities, and this will give them an advantage over their peers.
Areas, where they are not clear about in school, can be repeated over again by their online tutors, difficult mathematical questions can be solved, and more examples are given to furnish a better understanding of a topic.
Your kids can learn how to spell, improve their vocabulary, and understand other subjects via this online Academy.
Set up some creative space at home
Long holidays are an excellent period to set up some creative space for your children with lots of craft supplies. You can use craft materials like paper sheets, glue, tapes, kid-friendly scissors, glitter, craft kits, etc.
Motivate your kid to create something different each day using any of the provided materials. As a parent, you are tasked with the responsibility to develop a simple cutout or example for them. You can prepare a list of arts and crafts, or other indoor activities for the day or the entire week in advance.
Tell your kids some stories
Children love to hear stories that will excite them and stories they can learn from. Reading and telling stories to your kids will promote their brain development and teach them different languages. It also strengthens their emotions and relationship with family and friends.
Don’t look for a particular time to share them stories; any time is right for stories. Your honesty and benevolence will let your kids know they can trust you with their own experiences. It is wise to know the best information to share and what to keep because every parent and every child has a right to some privacy.
Give your children puzzles and riddles to solve
When your kids are alone with a puzzle, they can learn different life skills such as cognitive skills (problem-solving skills), physical skills, and emotional skills, i.e., maintaining their emotions in awkward moments.
During the long holidays, puzzles and riddles can help your children to gain a better understanding of their surroundings. Engaging your children with riddles is a critical aspect of building a well-balanced child.
These puzzles and riddles expose kids to know more about their limitations and how to overcome them. As a parent, don’t be stock up all the time with do’s and don’ts, give your kids the freedom to learn something new about themselves.
Play games with your kids
As important as learning is, playing is also crucial to the development of your kids because it provides them with mental, physical, social, and emotional relief. When you play games with your kids, they will have the freedom to discuss their thoughts, worries, and struggles with you openly on different subject matters, including their relationship with friends.
I know you don’t want to raise your children under any pressure or pain. Therefore, create some time to play with them, as this will create an atmosphere of love and protection, and ease them from pressure.
There are a lot of apps out on the internet where you can find educational and engaging games to play with your kids. Never miss the opportunity to engage with your kids on their favorite games, it’s a lifetime memory you don’t want to miss!
In conclusion
Long holidays can be boring for kids, and it can pose more stress on you as a parent. However, no matter how stressful it can be having kids around 24 hours daily for a long and extended time, there are many things you can do with your kids to ease yourself from stress and make them have a good time.
Some tips have been shared with you in this article, now go have some fun with your kids and create some wonderful memories!
