to not give my kids the summer 'off'

[Jockjockjock]

YABU - Cruel! Let them have 8 weeks off
YANBU - sensible, go for it

Kids been out of school since March, both primary age, and not back til Sept - if even then. Been doing home schooling routine, fairly easy going, but 9am start, lots of outdoor time in afternoons, and no screens allowed til after 5pm.

Summer hols are coming up so I was thinking of ignoring that fact and just carrying on, given how much school they've missed, and we aren't going anywhere.
IS that cruel??? to skip their summer break? We have a local caravan booked for 2 weeks so they'd have that time off.
Can't think what else they'd do all day otherwise, given the lack of holiday clubs, or mixing with friends that they would usually do in summer.

[Pepperwort]

I'll be carrying on but more reduced maths and literacy and more extended science and crafty projects. We haven't done enough of the latter and it's been bothering me.

[just5morepeas]

I'll be carrying on doing the little bit of work we have been doing, with my two primary school aged kids. I try to read with them plenty, and do workbooks on English and maths and it still probably ends up only an hour a day. I find it very difficult, my children seem to cope fine.

That doesn't mean we won't also be doing lots of fun things. I'm especially amused by the previous commenter who thinks op will be sticking their kids in front of work sheets as a way of getting out of interacting with them! I've never spent so much time "interacting" with my kids as when I'm trying to get them to do schoolwork! 😂

That said, we'll also be doing practical things like baking, learning to ride without stabilizers (long overdue), the shoe laces, tell the time, etc.

Anything can be a learning experience but I agree they've missed so much recently that they really should try to do a little over the summer.

[sahbear]

I think you are right, if you can do it. Proper 2 weeks off, normal weekends and schoolwork with lots of outdoors other days. How about a day trip Friday, zoo, etc?

[myself2020]

What would your normally do with them over the summer that you can't do now?.
well, sportclub, drama club, and going on holudaye.
Thanks to the pandemic, working people have had to spend annual leave on childcare, and for many all annual leave (if any left) has been cancelled for july - september (otherwise the business might go down).
So its work from home for parents

[Itwasnoaccident9786756453]

Mine will need to work throughout because we've taken a little and often approach.

[chancechancechance]

I think you will hold them back with this approach as real creative thinking needs space and time.

It isn't cruel, but you risk limiting them.

Plus it sounds quite dull for you!

[randomsabreuse]

I'd do a hybrid approach, day trips out, do what you can but daily routine studying if you're at home for the day.

I'm planning to keep on with Maths (App based), reading and other random educational stuff for my 4 year old because she's bored with the lack of stimulation.

[Itwasnoaccident9786756453]

And I think it brings stability and structure.

[buttersidedown]

I did this during the Easter holidays, which worked well, but we are definitely all flagging now and I feel they need a break now. Maybe have a couple of weeks off (other than your caravan holiday) so they can have some downtime at home, and do work with them for 2 weeks.

[namechangetheworld]

Honestly, mine is almost 5 and I'm planning on doing the same, simply to give the day a bit of structure. If she learns a few bits in the process, it's a bonus.

To be fair, we only do about an hours work a day anyway.

[TheFuckingDogs]

We will be continuing with a reduced timetable as DC only does a few hours a day but has been doing well with homeschool so want to keep going with at least reading, writing and maths everyday during summer

[vanillandhoney]

@myself2020

What would your normally do with them over the summer that you can't do now?.
well, sportclub, drama club, and going on holudaye.
Thanks to the pandemic, working people have had to spend annual leave on childcare, and for many all annual leave (if any left) has been cancelled for july - september (otherwise the business might go down).
So its work from home for parents

How are you going to get two young children (OP's are in primary) to do school work while you concentrate on your job?

Wouldn't it be easier and less stressful for everyone if you just let them play/read/whatever?

[ChaBishkoot]

I am a terrible parent. We have never taken the summer ‘off.’ We have done a holiday or two but through all holidays DS1 and 2 have done two 30 mins slots (or 3 20 mins slots) of something educational. Maybe read a chapter and then I ask them questions. A worksheet. A small project. Something.
Both kids now play music so they practice their instruments relatively willingly as well.
The rest of the time is outdoors, biking, climbing trees, playing cricket. Whatever they want to do. And lots of reading. I spent my summers reading a lot as a child, sometimes the same book obsessively.
One of my kids is more artsy and crafty than the other so spends hours doing that if he wants to.

[myself2020]

@vanillandhoney mine are nursery and year 2. Oldest will read, write, do mathsfactor and some workbook pages. youngest will do some online activities and counting plus colouring. and loads of play. but if i just let them without any structure all day and stuff to “get done” all day they get frustrated and fight. Its not much fun to be stuck in the house all day, much easier with a purpose and some structure

[Bringonspring]

We will be doing about an hour of reading and writing but principally because it has been spaced out and I am desperate for my son not to enter year 1 behind. When I chat to friends a large chuck of children who didn’t get in with school in the later years can attribute it to feeling behind at a really early age at school (which I always find shocking that no one intervened) but anyway desperate for my son to not like school because he feels behind

[Kokapetl]

@AgnesNaismith

My yr 2 dc has fallen so far behind...and that’s with online classes. Having said that I’ve found she’s learning more at home, so perhaps she was behind before! Either way we’ll be reading, going through spellings, times tables, writing for fun and comprehension on a daily basis....the rest can wait.

Genuine question: how do you know they are behind? I was wondering how I could check this?

I was also considering continuing with educational activities, maybe without the timetable, over Summer too. Mainly, as other have said, so that the kids have something to do.

[Bringonspring]

Ps I agree with parents who are talking about children needing structure. Mine definitely like structure

[Bringonspring]

Kokapet-a quick google tells you what level of attainment children should be at, ranked with ‘emerging, expected and exceeded’ I know my child exceeds in maths but is definitely emerging when I compare what it says about his writing and where he should be

[10storeylovesong]

Both DH and I have continued to work throughout the pandemic and therefore have had less time to spend homeschooling our Yr 2 DS than I would have liked, plus his 2 year old brother is a distraction.

All those people saying to take them to the zoo, playgrounds, museum etc, are you working full time? Not sure how I can take him out for the day when I'm trying to cram 8 hours work in each day, with very little annual leave left for the year. Ds2 will hopefully be back in nursery 2 mornings a week by summer, giving ds1 quieter time to concentrate on some maths work, which he was behind in anyway and seems to have forgotten what little he knew!! That gives him 5 full days, and 2 half days, to relax. I'm fairly sure that won't do him any harm!!

[Jockjockjock]

Wow, some impassioned responses! Just to clear stuff up my kids aren't actually being abandoned with worksheets- one is too young and one would never focus on their own. I'm actively teaching them - about 40 mins English, 40 mins maths, then it's art, or cooking, or sport, boardgames, science stuff, they go off and read...they've learned to surf... we go off to the beach or forest to explore for half days or days.

I'm thinking of keeping daily maths and english because despite my efforts, I'm not a teacher and their school has had sweet FA interaction with us. They're doing a fraction of what they would in school.

Lots to think about though.

[PickACoolUserName]

I think you need to do what works for you. It's all very well saying "give them a break" or "I have to work" but every family is different and every child has had a different level of education provided by the school. If your school is one of the "one worksheet a day and no feedback" sort then it would be perfectly reasonable to try and get a bit more education in over the holidays, whilst if your school provided a near full timetable then a break will be in order.

In other words OP, find a balance that works well for you and the kids. Personally we'll be easing up a bit but will still be doing some learning.

[MissBaskinIfYoureNasty]

We're not stopping for the holidays. It won't be rigidly timetabled but I'm determined to make sure my kids won't be one of those that return to school having slipped way behind because of this pandemic. Not happening. Maths and English will continue daily and then we'll do other topics but probably with less structure than we have now.

[Jockjockjock]

@TheFuckingDogs
that's sort of what I'm thinking.

Home learning has been okay for us, not stressful, mainly because I can tell when they really aren't up for sitting at a table and we go off to do "PE' or 'Geography" outside for a few hours.

[totallyyesno]

We have 3 months of summer holidays and, apart from reading, we are going to have 3 months off.

[Jockjockjock]

Oh, and Fridays they have off from anything home based, DP usually surfaces from WFH to take them out for a play somewhere or meet up with friends at beach/park/hills.