During the school holidays, short or long, children have a lot of free time in their hands. If they have nothing to do after finishing their chores around the house, as the saying goes, an idle mind is the devil’s workshop.
It is, therefore, necessary for parents and guardians to find other engaging activities that will keep the youngsters occupied mentally and physically.
Below are five simple and less costly activities students can do during the short April school holiday.
Cooking
This can later on turn into a successful career if the youngster really enjoys what s/he is doing in the kitchen. Some are old enough to be preparing family meals but go a mile ahead and help them try to cook different dishes and even create a recipe.
During the cooking period, it is important for an adult to be around supervise the whole exercise so as to avoid accidents in the kitchen especially with fire and burns from hot liquids.
Volunteering
According to the Kenyan laws, employing a person under 18 years is considered as child labour, which amounts to a criminal activity. However, volunteer offers a great opportunity for the young people to get exposed to the real world and develop their skills or talents.
They can volunteer to help in children’s home, cleaning the church and teaching Sunday school, cleaning the environment in the neighborhood, in hospitals for those who are old enough among others.
[ Read: 5 Reasons why April holiday is a mini-December ]
Visiting nearby universities and colleges
After high school, students have dreams of joining a certain university, do the course they love then get a job. However, some students have only seen universities on the Television or newspaper. taking them to visit a university or college will bring in a new sense of what it is like to be in a tertiary institution.
They can then interact with university students and get direct experience from them. If allowed, they can visit lecture halls, playing grounds and students centre. This will encourage them to work harder in their education.
Watching documentaries
Our young people have access to the internet through smart phones and TV’s among other electronics. The Internet is a home to many videos and articles that cut through the cultures and moral values. It is important to talk to your child about the harmful materials on the internet. If you can lock them out of accessing rated content the better.
Instead of them spending hours watching movies and cartoons, encourage them to watch documentaries. Not only are they educative across many disciplines, they also may trigger an interest in some areas.
[ See also: 7 lifestyle changes you must make to become successful ]
Catching up on reading
A school holiday does not mean throwing books away and start searching for them once the term begins. Sit down with the kids and help them come up with a timetable on how they can schedule their reading time and what subject to tackle at a certain time.
Also encourage group discussion with kids from other schools to broaden their thinking. This will encourage them to plan their next term schedule and work on subjects they are weak on.
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