Midterm holidays are very important time periods for children. After a long and tiring school time, the meaning of vacation is as valuable for parents as it is for children. Education based on the exam system in our country is tiring for both students and parents. For this reason, first of all, children should really rest and have a vacation during the holiday. It will be healthier for them to spend this time with extracurricular activities, even if their report cards are bad, in order to get away from their mental fatigue. In order to have a fresh mind when school starts again, the break should be treated like a vacation and rested enough. Otherwise, it will be inevitable that old failures will continue when you start school again with a tired mind.
The purpose of the holidays is not only to meet our need for rest, but also to evaluate ourselves and to realize our shortcomings. The more families are involved in this process, the more meaningful the holidays are. The attitude of the parents, the meaning attributed to the report card, the correct recognition of the child’s academic abilities, and the consistency of the success expectation developed against the child are very important. Above all, we should love children not for the good report cards they bring, but simply because we have children. It is very important for children to feel this emotion. If this happens, we can hug our child and help him even if he has a bad report. A critique of the report can be made with children, but children should never be punished or scolded for poor grades. Shouting, getting angry, scolding cause damage to the child, just like physical violence. Emotional damage that occurs in this way heals in a longer time than the damage caused by physical violence.
We live in an age where the concept of time becomes more and more important every day. It is also possible to spend quality time with them without boring them during these breaks, when children want to rest, play and have fun to the fullest. In this article, you’ll find some activities that I practice when working with children and get great results when done regularly. With these activities, you can have fun with your child and observe your child’s social and cognitive development.
Self-introduction activity: Everyone from the family members took turns talking and presented themselves for 5 minutes. introduces throughout. You can detail the information you will give according to your child’s age and extend the time. Allow your child to be free in expressing himself. Make him feel that it is an event that has no right or wrong. You can give verbal hints where it gets stuck. You can invite your child to relax and talk by asking what his favorite color is and what his best friend’s name is.
Nostalgia clock: Old albums at home are looked at together and a nostalgia clock is made. You will enable your child to see the time difference. Also, looking at old photos means finding lots of funny details. It’s always fun to look through old albums and talk about old photos.
Write about an event that affected you: Everyone in the family writes a single page of an event that affected them. Then everyone reads in turn. It may be appropriate not to include sad events while writing. You can include a moment in your daily life that was funny, surprising or exciting. Here, we both share an event that affects us with our family and also experience the act of writing. It will be an event where everyone is very curious about what each other writes and listens to it with all their ears. If you want to continue the activity later, you can detect spelling mistakes together. Or, each family member can detect someone else’s spelling mistake.
Make a family meal in the kitchen: Family members make a meal or dessert together. Everything is done together, from what dish to cook, to putting the ingredients on the table and completing the meal. Giving your child small tasks in all areas of the house develops his or her independent living skills. A meal cooked together leaves a good memory and gives happiness to your child. After all, even if the food doesn’t taste good, the enjoyment of this experience is priceless.
Chat time: Family members taking turns talking about their funny memories. When everyone’s turn is over, you can tell about a mysterious or frightening moment that happened to you. This way, you can change the topic title as everyone’s turn is finished. According to your child’s age and interest, you can also make a brainstorming hour, where you can discuss current issues and generate ideas. For example, ‘what measures can we take against the depletion of water resources?’ You can discuss something like
Book reading time: If you include this activity in your life regularly, it will be very effective for your child to gain the habit of reading. Together, half an hour or an hour is created where there is only silence and books. In this process, do not talk to each other and stay away from technology and television. Later, everyone can briefly inform other family members about the book they read. As you experience reading, the magical world of books will draw you in more and you will see that your reading time is getting longer and you enjoy this time period together. Building the habit of reading is the biggest investment you will make in your child’s personal development in the long run.
Visit a museum: A museum close to your home is a family visit. You can make sure that the museum you choose appeals to your child’s interests. For example, personal museums may be more interesting than archaeological museums. Or it could be vice versa. Although most museums are open on weekends, some museums may require an appointment. It would be good to plan these details in advance. Visiting museums will nurture your child’s sense of discovery and curiosity, as well as show them past cultures. With a child who loves museum visits, the conversations and questions you will have about what he sees are never ending.
Play board games: Choose a game that you will enjoy playing together. A board game that you choose according to your child’s age will contribute to his thinking skills and planning his next steps. For example, it can be a board game called ‘Let’s Find Who’.
Have a movie night: A children’s movie is chosen and watched together. It could be Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. Depending on your child’s interest, you can choose a movie with animals as characters or cars with characters.
Daydreaming hour: The daydreaming hour is made and the child’s dreams are listened to. Every great thing accomplished begins with a dream. If we teach children to dream and let them tell their dreams, we are actually teaching children to think, want and achieve. Families should care about their children’s dreams and give them the opportunity to express their dreams. Let your children see that you are listening while they are in daydreaming time. Afterwards, you can motivate your child by explaining your dreams and how you achieved them.
Time to paint nature: Go out with the child and collect some natural elements such as stones, leaves, branches that can be found on the ground. When you get home, paint them together in the colors you want. Instead of drawing trees and leaves on a blank sheet of paper, create and paint your own tree from the branches you have collected. Put the leaf you collected on it and paint it. With this activity, your child will make observations by participating in nature. A child who learns the beauties that nature offers us by being involved in nature and by living, gains much more sensitivity towards life and its environment.
Especially when the above activities based on writing and speaking are done regularly, you will observe the following positive developments over time: You will see that your child makes longer and more regular sentences, is more self-confident, can express himself better, and speaks more fluently in public.
