Vacation Mode on: Now to keep the children busy!
The sun is out in full force, the heat is bearing down on us, and humidity
is through the roof, but do we care? Not in the least, because, at long
last, the summer vacations are here. This is probably the state of all our
minds once the final semester is done and we are looking forward to our
well-deserved break. I mean this for not only the kids but the parents as
well. What a relief to not have to wake up early in the morning and get
ready for school (both kids and parents).
“Where’s my journal” screams the child? “I told you to be more responsible
and take care of your things”, yells back the mother!
“What’s for breakfast, mama?”
“Arre, finish with the washroom at least first before asking for food!”
replies the flabbergasted mother.
“Why is your water bottle leaking? Did you drop it again?”
“Of course not, how should I know why it's leaking?” replies the poor boy
who dropped the bottle 3-4 times just yesterday while fiercely competing in
a bottle flip competition!
Suddenly, it’s quiet in the house. No alarm bells, no firing up the kitchen
in the morning. You have time to sip on your tea/coffee and read the
newspaper, you know, that thing which is mostly black and white and gives
us the information we need to get through the week!
Ironically, the alarm is not needed as we all tend to wake up early anyway
once there is no work! Especially the kids. The million-dollar question in
every household now is; what should we do today? This is even more
challenging for children with ADHD and high-energy kids who constantly need
something to do.
If you want the answer to that in a single sentence so that you have to
read no further, it is this.
Engage with them and involve them in your day.
Easier said than done, I know. Here are a few things that might work.
-
Get them interested in doing regular things around the house. Make
it fun. Things like making tea, making their own sandwiches, and
cooking for older kids.
-
Convince them to do some of their regular duties like cleaning out
their cupboards, shelves, books, toys, games, and so on. You might
have to incentivise this by offering new things in return for old
things donated or given away. A surprising caveat here is that kids
love burning things so if you have a whole lot of unusable
paper-based products, have a massive bonfire with smores!
-
Get in touch with all your contacts and have them take the kids to
their offices and workplaces for a couple of hours 2-3 days a week.
Just let them experience a work environment where nothing is
expected of them. Let them be a gofer!
-
Make them volunteer at schools and colleges. For a change from the
routine, send them to work at a school for dyslexia in Mumbai or a
school for ADHD, special needs schools or shelters. Let them
experience change and appreciate what they have.
-
Play with them. Extremely important for our autistic children. Take
advantage of the fact that this is summer vacation for you too, in
a way. Engage with games they like instead of what you like and
watch them participate with enthusiasm. Pro-tip, ask them to teach
you the latest video games they are playing, and watch their faces
turn to amazement that we might be interested in their likes!
-
Do not ask them to develop a hobby. This is the single most
destructive thing for a child’s personality. Let them discover
their hobby themselves. Pro-tip, do different things around the
house, things that you wouldn’t normally do, and let them come up
to you and ask about it. Eg, take out that old dusty camera or
musical instrument and have a go at it without telling them. Let
them walk in on you while doing it. Watch the curiosity emerge.
-
Do not put any organized classes or training schedules unless the
child specifically asks for it. Children with special needs will
have to be given a break too. Let them be as normal as possible and
as free as possible
-
Offer a prayer at least once a day when they are watching you.
After a few days, they will sit down with you and try to emulate
your actions
-
Last but not the least, perhaps the most important of them all –
Allow them to have some time where they have absolutely nothing to
do. This is the only thing that will spark their imaginative minds
into action. You will be surprised at what they can come up with.
-
Let go every once in a while and let them do their own thing for a
bit!
Try out all or any of these and do share your experiences and ideas so we
can offer this to all those hard working parents and children who truly
deserve a well-earned summer vacation!
Author: Munazza Siddiqui
Teaching Faculty - Senior, The Aditya Birla Integrated School
Also read,
5 Ways For A Student To Stay Productive During The Summer Break.
5 Best Calming Activities For Students With ADHD
