A break from school means road trips, slumber parties, and staying up later than usual. Kids around the world run around in glee, teachers plop up their feet with their favorite books, and parents contemplate whether they are ecstatic or fearful. Setting expectations beforehand will benefit kids, parents, and even teachers.
I’ve created some top tips for parents to make the time away from school easier on everyone. The tips and activities will ensure children stay prepared for the final stretch of school after winter break, or so they remain aligned after a longer break.
“Parents contemplate whether they are ecstatic or fearful of the school holidays.”
Set Expectations, Not Rules
Teachers work to set expectations with their class on the first day of school and every time after a long period out of school. It’s just as important for parents to set expectations with their children. Think about some of these questions and be sure to discuss them with your children:
- Is your child expected to wake up and sleep at a certain time over the break?
- Will s/he have any educational time and will you conduct this? Does he have any homework, books to read, or stories to write?
- Do you plan to have specific screen time limits?
You may wonder why these questions are important. When expectations are set beforehand, both parent and child have the same agreement. This avoids confusion from either party, and lessens the chance of conversations like this:
Parent – “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Child – “I don’t have school tomorrow.”
Avoid the common saying, “rules are meant to be broken” and come up with an agreement instead. Discuss what should be done and followed. For example, you could say “lights should be off at 11:00PM” versus “do not stay awake late.” This is more clear and proven to be followed better.
Daily Schedule Relating to School
On a typical school day, most schools have time for education including math, reading, writing, science, social studies. They have a specific time for recess and lunch as well as extra curricular activities like music, art, PE or computer class. Setting a schedule, or routine, for kids at home would help their transition to and from school as well.
You’re not expected to follow along the school curriculum and activities during the break. Plus, it’s a break from school for a reason and I am a firm believer in that. At the same time, there are numerous opportunities to include education, art, and physical activity during the break whether you are away on vacation or staying at home. Here are some possibilities:
Math: Go on a nature walk and count trees. Discuss the shapes seen at a building you visit.
Reading: Read aloud road signs. Go to the library. If you are busy at work, your child can record their reading for you to listen to and discuss later.
Writing: Encourage children to write what they do everyday during the break. Play the road trip letter game, finding things you see with every letter of the alphabet.
Science: Visit an aquarium. Conduct an experiment together. Read a book on a science topic they’re interested in.
Social Studies: Visit centers that include role play of various careers. If you go on vacation, mark on the world map where you visit, discuss the culture there. You could even have a fun family cook off making the food you discover on vacation.
Physical Activity: Go to a playground, let kids do what they enjoy whether it’s a specific sport like baseball and dance, or have a family competitive soccer game!
Read a Book Throughout the Break
Reading a book through the break can be beneficial to practice the reading skill, build interest or teach behavior. You could start a chapter book and read a couple of chapters each night. If you are looking for a book that teaches behavior, I recommend “The 7 habits of Happy Kids” by Sean Covey. On a week break, read the book from day 1 to 7. Practice throughout the break and continue to discuss the habits afterwards.
This book teaches certain behavior skills like how to listen. Think about when you’re talking to someone and the person is looking in another direction. It feels rude and either the recipient is not listening, or uninterested. We have to teach kids that active listening requires your ears, eyes, and your heart.
Plan Places to Visit
Taking a walk outside could be a place to visit and so could visiting another city or state. Either way, be sure to plan it out and schedule in time for everything discussed above. You can incorporate a science lesson at the visit to a zoo, or your child’s daily physical activity time at the trampoline park.
Set Expectations for Going Back to School (You & Them)
We all know how hard it gets to go back to work after the holidays. Luckily, we can take some steps to ease parents, children and teachers back to school. There are a few ways to make this process easier on yourself.
Set a pretty firm eating and sleeping schedule when possible. Don’t stray so far from the typical expectations and timings you have during the school days. This will create a healthier balance and easier transition back to school after the break.
Overall, remember these tips are to help everyone get more quality time together all while having fun and maintaining a good balance between school, and non-school days.
-The Parent’s Teacher (Shay)