Meaningful ways to engage children with special learning needs during summer vacations

Meaningful ways to engage children with special learning needs during summer vacations.

Summer vacations are always a terrific time for most of us to unwind, connect, learn, and rest, regardless of our age group. After a long school year of ten months, every family looks forward to this break. However, the summer vacation raises a crucial question: how can this time be used effectively? Children are accustomed to following a set schedule during the school day. If not used wisely, a long break can have both positive and negative consequences. Our special needs children can make the most of their vacations by engaging in some much-needed structured activities that provide a respite from the monotony of school while also allowing them to be productive.

Here are some ideas for making sure our kids have a good time and learn something during their well-deserved summer vacation:

1. Involvement in social groups: Children with special needs have a strong parent body. This might be utilised to plan some enjoyable activities for a small group. Volunteering and organising play dates for their children are options for parents. Games, reading circles, movie time, or just a snack party can all be part of these occasions.
2. Acquisition of prevocational skills: Many special schools offer a prevocational curriculum for their students, as these abilities are extremely beneficial to our children with special needs. We can always improve our children's prevocational skills by including them in simple daily tasks at home. Making a grocery list, following and preparing a basic meal, watering plants, and organising their space are some examples. If you look closely, each of these activities has significant academic value, and the child has a lot to learn without necessarily adopting traditional learning methods.
3. Therapies: Therapies are extremely vital in the lives of children with special needs. At TABIS, our children benefit from a comprehensive therapy programme that includes occupational therapy, speech therapy, and behaviour therapy. However, therapies can go much beyond this. Summer vacation can be used to engage children in activities such as music therapy, pet therapy, and aqua therapy, to highlight a few. This will help children enhance their social and motor abilities, and they may develop an interest in an instrument or a pet as a result.
4. Academic practice: Giving children "holiday homework" during their vacations is an age-old habit. The basic rationale for this is that students should not lose their academic touch totally. Every day, set aside half an hour to an hour to practise academic skills such as writing, comprehension, or math. This will keep children interested in learning and increase their confidence when the new academic year begins.
5. Family getaway: This is the most effective and efficient technique to engage your child. Even if it's only for a weekend, a family retreat may be a very educational experience for a child. You can begin by selecting a destination for your vacation. This can include significant discussions like whether the location is appropriate for your visit given the weather conditions, and so forth. Then you and your child can create an itinerary together and encourage them to choose what they want to bring. You can then enhance your journey by asking them thought-provoking questions, requesting that they do some study on the location's history, and so on. It's also a great way for the whole family to bond.

As previously stated, our children are accustomed to following a routine. As a result, small details like structuring their day and discussing it with them ahead of time prepare them and keep them motivated throughout the day. When the element of surprise is removed, our children with special needs are more aware of what their day will entail and what is expected of them. As a result, it's critical that jobs be pre-planned and, if possible, time-bound. Having stated that, one can continue to engage in daily activities such as outdoor activities, TV watching, and indoor play. Let's make the summer vacation a fun learning experience.

Author: Zaineb Kagalwala

Teaching Faculty – DLP, The Aditya Birla Integrated School

Also read,

5 Ways For A Student To Stay Productive During The Summer Break.

How TABIS Helps Students with Learning Disabilities Learn And Grow In School?