School Holidays… Just relax and breath…

School holidays – the best time of the year! That’s my experience. It is a great time to relax, lay around the house and just slow down, or catch up with friends and cousins. Holidays also provided the  opportunities to explore in more depth the things that I had always wanted to do but did not have the time to do so…

Now is the time for school holidays across Australia, and you hear the laughter of children in the street, shopping centers…

So what is the benefit of school breaks?

How can you capitalise on the extra time children have at home?

School holidays are always a great time to rest, recuperate, rejuvenate and reconnect with your children, and for yourself to have a break from the daily rush of school and activities, it is also a great time for the older children to reconnect with their younger siblings as well. During school term, they are busy with schooling and after school activities so some families go separate ways.

Here are 5 simple tips that will encourage more connections, fun and empowerment.

1. Make school holidays a time to relax and reconnect

I remembered when my children were at school, during the first few days of a school break we would have a “lock down” in terms of activities. This meant zero external activities for a few days, i.e. not going out with friends or having friends over, but just allowing ourselves to rest and relax. We avoided any rushing in the morning, so the children just chilled, laid in bed, read in bed and just enjoyed each other’s company. Everything was just in slow motion, with no rush and no stress, and just time to enjoy the serenity and peace.

Make this opportunity to allow the older siblings to reconnect with their younger brothers or sisters. Just allow the space for them to play, chat and have fun together.

2. Connect with grandparents and extended families

I remembered visiting my grandparents during the school holidays. It was an opportunity to “escape” the routine and enjoy the company of someone other than my parents.

Grandparents are a source of fun, love, wisdom, culture and values. They are the connections of your children’s roots, family values and traditions, and the opportunity to learn about who our family really are.

3. Involve them in house chores and outings

Get your children to help with some domestic chores or outings.  During the school terms, everyone is busy and rushing. School break is a great time to reconnect and spend some quality time together.

The ideal way to connect and to build relationships with your children is through daily interactions, which means through your daily activities such as grocery shopping, home chores, working on school projects or volunteering etc.

Children enjoy interacting with adults, especially their own parents. By involving your children in your daily activities, you are actually creating opportunities to connect and share the experiences together. Connections and Relationships are about shared experiences.

4. Play

To a child, PLAY is the language for fun, pleasure, relaxation, joy, exploration, creativity and learning. It is their natural activity; it is what children do and a natural part of life. Through PLAY, children learn about themselves, the environment, about their being, about people and the world around them. It is how they relate to themselves and other people.

Children need the opportunity to imagine and to act out their imagination through play, whether on their own, with siblings or with friends. Allow your child ample opportunity for free play – any play that has no rules or regulations. Find something that they can immerse themselves into and be lost in the wonderful world of imagination.

5. Rest

Holiday time is a great time to catch up on rest and to recuperate. Encourage them to do things that they need not have to rush or be busy- things like a home movie session or catching up on reading is a fun way to relax.

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