Summer holidays are coming. Now the children will stay at home for a few days. In such a situation, you can allow them to do something new, think new, or go to a new place and see some of their favorite things. They will have fun in this and will also learn something new. Monica, the mother of nine-year-old Shubhangi, was initially worried about the children's summer holidays as to what her daughter's routine should be for this one and a half months so that she does not get bored and can also learn something new. But now she no longer lives in this dilemma.
She says, “I planned six weeks for Shubhangi during the last summer holidays. In this, I included her dance, painting, and skating classes as well as summer camp. The time for homework and studies was also fixed. I tried to give him a chance to learn things of his interest, which I found beneficial. Now every year, along with Shubhangi, I also wait for her holidays. I feel that summer camps, hobby classes, or skill-based workshops provide many benefits to children. This increases the scope of their thinking along with creativity. “Their curiosity increases and they can see things from a new perspective.” Now that the summer holidays are coming near, the restlessness of all the parents is also increasing as to how to keep their children's mischief under control, teach them something new, and make their holidays fun.
Time to perfect the art
There is no doubt that the nature of summer holidays has changed a lot today as compared to earlier. This is not just limited to traveling somewhere or completing homework, rather children are more interested in taking full advantage of this time. They are learning genres ranging from theatre, pottery, swimming, tennis, basketball, and music to new languages and storytelling.
Eight-year-old Manushi has a special love for stories. She keeps writing short stories as a hobby in her spare time. One day someone told him about storytelling. Manushi then decided that she would learn this art during the school holidays. For this, he talked to his parents and without any delay got himself registered in its workshop. Manushi says, “I completed a three-day online workshop on storytelling, which I enjoyed. I will continue to participate in more such workshops in the future also.”
Diary writing means talking to yourself
Famous writer and social worker Sudha Murthy, in her childhood, was asked by her mother to note down every day's events in a diary. This awakened his passion for writing. Through diary writing, the habit of writing stories also developed.
At the same time, it is popular about American writer Mark Twain that he used to note down every good and bad incident in his diary. Later, using it as its basis, he prepared many important books. Writer J.K. Rowling first outlined Harry Potter in her diary. One day, when she was flipping through her diary on the train, she thought of creating a character like Harry Potter and she immediately noted it in her diary.
At the same time, writer Preeti Shenoy says, “Now that schools will be closed, children will have enough time in which they can also create something new. We know that thousands of good and bad thoughts come to everyone's mind throughout the day. If children develop the habit of noting them in their diary, they will be able to enjoy writing. Not only this, diary writing not only relieves them from stress but also gives new ideas and the right direction to their writing.”
New language, new understanding
Swaraj, studying in class eight, is crazy about cricket. When mom said that now you will only play cricket during holidays? So Swaraj replied, “No!” Mother was a little surprised and said, “Then what will you do?” Then Swaraj said “I like the French language very much. Therefore, in the time left from cricket practice, I will learn French. For this, I have also enrolled in an online course, so that it becomes easier to study this language in class nine.”
According to young entrepreneur Deepali Mathur, when we learn a new foreign language, we get a chance to see the world from a different perspective. We get to know about the history and culture there and our mind also opens. Research shows that when we learn a foreign language at the school level, we can understand our mother tongue better.
Carve yourself
During holidays, children have enough time and get ample opportunity to learn new things. Malini, a class 10 student, says, “Last year during the holidays when I attended a photography workshop, I got to know a lot about photography. Along with this, my interest in photography also increased. After this, I sent photographs to many school-level competitions, some of which got awards. I am most happy that I could utilize the time meaningfully.”
According to teachers, today's children get bored of any work very quickly. That's why they are eager to learn new things and skills. Extra co-curricular activities along with studies are very important to enhance their personality.
Malini further says, “My parents used to go on a bicycle ride together every evening during holidays. He used to take me to old age homes and orphanages to draw new pictures and to depict social problems through his photographs, where I became friends with him and could also understand his helplessness.” Like Malini's parents, you too can increase the social circle of your children by spending time with them, playing, and connecting with new people, which will improve their future.
Nature Camp and Workshop
No doubt changing lifestyles and increasing competition have taken children away from their roots. They are not able to enjoy nature even if they want to. We have become so used to living in air-conditioned buses and classrooms that we cannot tolerate even a little extra heat. Now, mud-based local games are rarely played. You must have also felt this change in your locality.
On this matter, a very beautiful statement by American philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo comes to mind, in which he used to say, “The earth smiles through flowers”, that is, when we plant plants in our garden and when colorful flowers bloom in it. So the heart feels very relieved. Children can also learn gardening during these holidays. You can enroll them in nature camps or workshops where they get a chance to plant seeds in fields, grow crops, save the environment, climb trees or mountains, talk to birds, and dance around a campfire.
Friendship with nature
Albert Einstein said, “Only when you go deep into nature, you can better understand its beauty and artistry.” So let's connect children with nature to live these holidays to the fullest. Spend time with trees, plants, animals, and birds. Migratory birds from all over the world come to the country every year, seeing them and hearing their voices is a unique pleasure.
You can spot diverse species of birds in Hemis National Park, located in the Suru Valley, 40 km southwest of Leh, in the heart of Kargil. Maharana Pratap Sagar Dam i.e. Pong Dam of Himachal Pradesh is also buzzing with migratory birds from China, Siberia, Central Asia, and Pakistan throughout the year. Bird tours organized in bird sanctuaries of different states also provide an opportunity to learn about indigenous and foreign birds and their lifestyle.
Children's interest is important
Child psychiatrist Renu Goyal says, school children eagerly wait for summer holidays. But in this era of working parents and nuclear families, children have only a few weeks of fun. The remaining time is spent in front of the TV or on the mobile phone. Games and cartoon shows become favorite time passes. In such a situation, parents can motivate them to be a part of summer camp or such activity in which children get to learn something new through sports.
Parents should keep in mind that the child should be encouraged to grow in activities of his choice or interest, and not impose his will on him. Don't worry if children are bored. Motivate them to use that time in a better way. Ask them to read good books, and help with household chores. These life skills will also prove beneficial for their personality development.
Self-confidence increases
Storyteller and writer Usha Chhabra says today's children are very curious. They want to do and learn something new every moment. Earlier children used to just read or listen to stories, but now they have developed a desire to tell stories themselves. Its hallmark can be seen in the increasing participation of children in online and offline storytelling workshops, especially during summer holidays.
Today many Indian storytellers are telling traditional, indigenous stories to children. When children listen to stories related to real life and society, their knowledge increases and they get inspired to tell stories. Storytelling is an art. To tell a good story, you have to work on your voice, body language, and posture. When a child narrates a story, his confidence increases manifold and his hesitations reduce and disappear with time.
(PC: ISTOCK)
