Bored at home? Never more! "Surviving" the summer holidays with success and with the family is possible. The key is in balance, in knowing how to harmonize leisure time and obligations. In addition, we must not forget something essential: it is time to share in a positive way to promote communication, and strengthen the bond with our children.
From the Higher Institute of Psychological Studies (ISEP) They tell us that summer is always a good time to learn to live together, it is time to laugh, communicate and enjoy quality moments. However, vacations with the little ones give us many more things. We are sure that these simple "survival" guidelines will come in handy for you on a day-to-day basis.
Keys to living "the best summer" with your children
It is time for rest and leisure, but there are still rules
We must not fall into the error to schedule every day of the child's vacation in a rigid way. Just as we need a certain time of rest to free ourselves from tensions and stress, children also demand the power to relax from the tight school hours.
It allows them, too, to learn to differentiate between compulsory school time and leisure time. Now, does this mean that rest is synonymous with doing what they want? Absolutely.
- There are still schedules, essential to be able to enjoy a good sleep hygiene, as well as feeding.
- The schedules must be agreed with the children and be fulfilled: there is one hour to get up, another to perform summer duties, and another to go to bed to rest.
- All the Homeworks should be done in the morning. The summer notebooks, the review of those pending subjects to reinforce, are better assimilated in the first hours of the day. That way they have the afternoon free.
- Within those hours and those established rules, children may also have the opportunity to suggest changes or new things to do. Avoid first of all "That they feel pressured", and that the excess of activities ends up generating more stress than well-being.
What activities are the most suitable for children in summer?
There is no perfect activity for everyone equally. Each child has a need and is within a certain life cycle, where he will need to reinforce some aspects over others. In addition, each family, within his possibilitiesYou can offer your children one thing or another.
Now, there are some basic points that we cannot neglect:
- We must encourage and develop in the child the playful part.
- Work on interpersonal relationships and their social skills.
- Have some guidelines clear in the day to day, specific and stable.
- Enhance the family unit.
Nothing to be bored at home: you have to go out, move, experience the summer ...
As you can see, it is something very basic and easy to develop. So this by no means means that the best activity is, for example, sending them to a summer camp in England to learn the language.
Within our resources, and what we agree with our partners, also knowing the needs and desires of the children themselves, we will choose one thing or another.
Less technology and more open air
As we already know, children from a very young age are used to the world of technology, tablets, computers and mobile phones.
It is important that from an early age we teach them to maintain a proper balance with these entertainment and information channels. They are very useful on a day-to-day basis, and will undoubtedly be excellent work tools for them in the future.
Now, right now they are still children. And as such, they must relate, experience physical play, the outdoors, manipulate, feel, laugh, fall, swim and develop their social skills.
Power all these dimensions. As soon as you see them bored at home, don't make the mistake of allowing turn on your consoles. It's time to go outside, to plan some activity!
Time of discoveries, times of new responsibilities
Summer is a good time to discover new interests. While it is true that they must "settle" basic and instrumental knowledge such as reading, writing and mathematics, the holidays are also very conducive to stimulating new and challenging aspects in them.
It should be they who explore what may interest them, but it is you who should guide them, who can offer you new stimuli. Make him interested in music eg Show him where the constellations are and which stars make up the sky.
Take it to museums, to zoos, get them interested in things, that they experiment, feel, manipulate and get excited. Emotions create traces and are motivations for tomorrow.
Also do not hesitate to give new responsibilities to the kid. The summer season is a good time to offer them confidence and boost their self-esteem by proposing a concession, which in turn, is linked to a responsibility: “you can play half an hour more with your friends if you take care of going to buy them the day the grandparents".
5. Do things together and separately
If you have vacation time at work, make the most of it with your children by doing new things. All timeshare strengthens the bond, but as you know, it must "be quality time."
Avoid pressure, or for example, sanctions for poor academic results. That conversation already took place at the time at the end of the course, so now, instead of reproaches, it is time to approach. To support, guide, guide and trust.
Establish activities that you can do as a family: go to the beach, play, talk quietly, go to the movies ...
In addition to those activities that enhance our coexistence, we also need to our moments of independence, and that goes both for us and for the little ones.
As a couple, you also need that time of intimacy, so nothing happens if during a weekend you make a little getaway. As for children, it is also important that they enjoy their small moments of independence, of those days at his friends' house, for example.
All this strengthens self-confidence, in addition to uniting even more the family bond, away from toxic attachments or overprotections. So now you know…. Bored at home in the summer? Never more! It is time to learn, experiment and enjoy as a family.