Midterm holidays are very precious time periods for children. After a long and tiring school time, the meaning of vacation is expensive for parents as well as for children. Education based on the examination system in our country is tiring for both students and parents. For this reason, first of all, children should really rest and take a vacation during the holiday. Even if their report cards are bad, it will be healthier for them to spend this time with extracurricular activities in order to get away from their mental fatigue. In order to have a fresh mind when school starts again, the middle break should be treated as a vacation and rested properly. Otherwise, when you start school again with a tired mind, it will be inevitable that old failures will continue.
The aim of the holidays is not only to meet our need for rest, but also to make ourselves expensive 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 real recognition of the academic abilities of the child, the consistency of the expectation of success developed against the child are very valuable. Above all, we should love children not for the adequate reports they bring, but simply because we have children. It is very valuable for children to feel this emotion. If this happens, we can hug our child and help him, even if he has a bad report card. 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 also 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 gains more and more value every day. It is also possible to spend quality time with them without boring them during these middle holidays, where children want to rest, play and have fun to the fullest. In this article, you will find some of the activities that I practice when working with children, and which, when done properly, have very pleasant results. With these activities, you can have fun with your child and observe your child’s social and cognitive development.
Self promotion activity: Everyone from the family members took turns speaking for themselves for 5 minutes. introduces throughout. You can detail the information you will give according to the age of your child and extend the time. Allow your child to be free in expressing himself. Make him feel that it is an activity 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 the name of his best friend.
Nostalgia hour: Old albums in the house are always looked at together and a nostalgia hour is made. You will enable your child to see the time difference in the middle. 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 an event that affected you: Everyone in the family recounts an event that affects them and goes through them in one page. 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 experience the act of writing. It will be an activity 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 always detect spelling mistakes together. Or, every family member can spot a glutton’s spelling mistake.
Make a family meal in the kitchen: Family members make a meal or dessert together. Everything is done together, from which dish to cook, to putting the utensils on the table and finishing the meal. Giving your child small missions in all areas of the home develops his or her independent life skills. A meal cooked together leaves a pleasant memory, while offering satisfaction to your child. After all, even if the food doesn’t taste good, the enjoyment of this experience is invaluable.
Chat time: Family members taking turns talking about their funny memories. When everyone’s turn is over, you can tell about a mysterious or anxious moment that happened to you. In this case, you can change the betting title as everyone’s turn is finished. Depending on your child’s age and interest, you can also make a brainstorming hour, where you discuss current problems and generate ideas. For example, ‘what measures can we take against the depletion of water resources?’ You can discuss an issue.
Reading time: If you include this activity in your life on a regular basis, it will be very effective for your child to gain the habit of reading books. A half hour or an hour is always created together, 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 together. Developing the habit of reading is the biggest investment you will make in your child’s personal development in the long run.
Visit the 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 the complete opposite. Although many museums are open on weekends, some museums may require an appointment. It would be wise to plan these details in advance. Visiting museums is a mirror to the time, as it will feed your child’s sense of discovery and curiosity, as well as show you past cultures. With a child who likes museum visits, the conversations you will have about what he sees and the questions you will answer are never ending.
Play board games: A game is selected 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’.
Make movie night: A children’s cinema is chosen and watched together. It could be Charlie’s Chocolate Factory. Depending on your child’s interest, you can choose a movie theater with animals or cars.
Daydreaming hour: Daydreaming is done and the child’s dreams are listened to. Every great thing that has been 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 bring their dreams to life. 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 a measure of natural elements such as stones, leaves and arms that can be found on the ground. When you come to the residence, paint them together in the colors you want. Instead of drawing and painting a tree or leaf on a blank sheet of paper, create and paint your own tree from the arms you collect. Put the leaf you collected on it and paint it. With this activity, your child will observe nature by participating in it. A child who learns the pleasures that nature offers us by being involved in nature and by living, gains much more sensitivity towards life and its surroundings.
Especially when the above activities based on writing and speaking are carried out systematically, you will observe the following positive developments over time: You will see that your child makes longer and more regular sentences, has more self-confidence, can express himself better and speaks more fluently in front of the community.
