School holidays are an important time for your child to recharge from their busy school life. You don’t have to spend money to bring your kids to an expensive vacation in order for them to recharge.
In fact, there are plenty of things you and your kids can explore together at home to continue learning even though they are not in school.
Here is my suggestion of 10 simple activities you and your child can do to keep them in track during the school holidays:
Activities that help develop math skills:
Helping out with groceries
When I do my weekly grocery, I take my child along. Doing this will not just give my child a confidence boost and feel all grown up, I can also help them improve their basic math skills.
Let me give you an example: you can ask them basic questions like how much do you need to buy if you need to get 2 packs of soap for every person.
If your child is a bit older and can handle advanced math questions, ask them complex questions like how expensive is one item based on the prices of its competitors. Or get them to tally up the total bill before you head towards the cashier.
Helping out with baking
If you like to bake, ask your child to help you measure the ingredients. Baking can introduce concepts like units and improve their mental math skills.
It can also give your child confidence since they can now practice their math skills.
Activities that develop science skills:
Take a stroll outdoors
Science is everywhere and you can increase their curiosity by letting them take a stroll in a park or any green space.
Ask your child questions like how did space came to be or what animals are living in the park. You can also do outdoor activities like a scavenger hunt to help them classify the difference between each object they see. Let them fall in love with Science!
Do home science experiments
Introduce your child to scientific concepts by doing home science experiments.
There are a lot of child-friendly science experiments you can do at home and there are even ones that are sold in stores.
If you have a lot of family members, you can suggest having a science fair at your own home. You can even hold a special challenge where your family members have to work with the given objects and create a science experiment with it.
Activities that develop writing:
Write a letter to Santa
During Christmas, why not ask your child to write to Santa.
This will help your child improve on their handwriting and even encourage them to try writing in their spare time. I believe this will also improve their spelling and grammar. It will even give you an idea of what they would like for Christmas as a bonus.
Write Holiday Cards to Family Members
Aside from writing to Santa, you can also ask your child to write holiday cards to the rest of the family.
You can tell them to ask the family what they want to read in the card and write the message from everyone in the family. This will teach your child to coordinate with others and create a compromise. It will also improve their time management skills and writing.
You will also help them feel accomplished since they managed to create something that everyone loves.
Activities that develop reading skills:
Read with your child every night
If you have a young child, you can help improve their reading skills by reading them a story every night. You can read the story out loud, point at the right images and guide your child through the story with the help of your finger.
If you have an older child, you can read them a novel or have them read it during the break. This ensures that their reading skills continue to improve and develop their vocabulary. Encourage them to finish the book before school starts.
Learn how to play a new game
Instead of getting your child a new video game, why not get a new board game for them to play with?
Before you play, ask your little one to read the instructions and help them with the tricky words. Have them read the instructions out loud to help them become confident in reading before others.
It will also help them analyze the instructions and understand them.
Activities that develop art skills
Performing a play
Children love to play pretend whenever their imagination soars.
With this in mind, why not hold a play where family and friends can watch your child perform? Help your child review their lines and set up their show.
Of course, let your child create the play. Letting them work on the story and perform it before others will give your child a way to express themselves and enjoy.
Film a video
If your child is not that confident to perform before others, why not let them film a video?
Your child will become aware of elements that may influence their video like the lights, story and the set they are shooting. Once the video is complete, your child will become more confident and accomplished. Allowing them to do the video on their own will also inspire them to do more videos. You can even invite the family to watch it.
Tip: Make sure to keep all the videos in storage and let your child watch the videos when they are older. It is also a good way to see if they have improved in making videos.
Conclusion
Holidays do not just have to be all fun and leisure. It can be transformed into a learning experience that your child can enjoy despite the extra work they have to do.
Introduce these fun activities and see which ones your child will pick up the most. If these activities are not the ones your child likes, find the things your child likes and see how it can be transformed into a learning experience.
Don’t know what to do with your child during the school holidays? Check these ideas out:
31 Amazing Singapore School Holiday Activities to Keep Your Kids Occupied
Activities for Kids during June & December Holidays
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