Do you make your dc "work" during the holidays?

[Sunhasgothishaton]

My eldest has a presentation to prepare for September, a maths workbook to complete, and a D&T project to complete.

My youngest has got to do 30 mins (2 instruments) music practice, 15 mins theory work and 15 mins general reading to do - 5 out of 7 days.

I appear to be the only one of my RL friends who's children do work during the holidays.

Please tell me that yours do too so that I can tell my kids they aren't the only ones in the world who have to work.

[Chopstheduck]

We usually also cover a bit of history, geography and anything else relevant to holiday trips too. I think this year they will probably be learning about canyons, earthquakes and the US navy!

[Chopstheduck]

Midnite - surely it is tough though, teaching children in sept if they haven't picked up a pen or book for the whole summer holiday?

[juneau]

My DS has just finished reception and he's been given no work over the holidays at all. We've signed up for a reading challenge though, we'll be doing a bit of maths each day, and also fun educational stuff like museums and galleries.

[vess]

I wish I could make them! Once or twice maybe, then it becomes a battle I cannot win.
Left to their own devices, though, they sometimes choose to do educational stuff.

[curlew]

I always insist on music practice and reading for those that don't read willingly.

[Dixiefish]

Reading they do anyway, but I like to do 10 mins maths revision maybe 4 days a week, and they don't seem to feel that is unreasonable. Of course in this weather the beach is more appealing

[jamtoast12]

Mine will do a bit of reading (as and when but aim for 3 times per week 1-1) and practise some times tables in the car etc but that's all... For me, i think they deserve a rest. Fair enough half hour a day etc is not a lot but I don't want them to feel they 'have to' as i know with mine, it'll still play on their mind everyday knowing they can't enjoy the day til its done.

[Periwinkle007]

erm I will try to get them to do some reading either every day or most days (they are 4 and 5) and hoping to do the reading challenge at the library and I would like if possible to do a bit of maths with my just finishing reception daughter as I am concerned now having read her report that she has come out after a whole year only able to do the same maths as when she went into reception so I would like to check she is happy with what she should be doing before she goes into yr1.
otherwise we have a scrapbook to stick things in on our holiday, a couple of postcards will be sent to a couple of their friends and thats it.

[Bonsoir]

My DD has a very long summer holiday (9 and a half weeks).

She is spending the first four at a US summer camp, where she will only do minimal reading (in bed at night and the emails her family sends her) and writing (diary type during rest hour). I don't think that there will be any sort of maths as there aren't even shopping options!

However, she will learn all sorts of things that school fails to address at all.

[insanityscratching]

Dd's a bit odd anyway (ASD) but her interests are voracious reading, writing her own books and doing maths puzzles and crosswords online. I won't need to encourage to do anything tbh she will do it all herself regardless.

[Periwinkle007]

9.5weeks? WOW. my daughter isn't even getting 6!

I always think the summer camps sound great, wonderful opportunity for development for kids.

[Bonsoir]

The camp my DC go to is amazing! DD rang me yesterday and told me all about the debate the whole camp (200 campers plus staff) had attended the previous evening, which was the result of the Debating activity option the previous week. It was a pro-gun/anti-gun ownership debate, based on the Connecticut school shooting in December 2012 and using other examples. The counsellor who runs the Debating activity is an Oxford PPE graduate. I'm so happy my DD can spend her whole days doing sports and other fun stuff and still get some good solid intellectual exposure as well. Plus lots of other healthy values (no electronics, no fancy kit, sleeping in simple cabins, washing in lake water) to help the children get some perspective on the lives they lead the rest of the year.

[ShadeofViolet]

We are doing the reading challenge from the local library.

Other than that, no. Summer holidays are for a different type of learning imo.

[ReallyTired]

Learning is far more than what goes in the classroom. I feel that the summer holidays are a chance to develop other skills/ talents other than numeracy and literacy. Certainly my children will read/ be read to every day and ds will do music practice.

We are going to cyprus for 10 days and I am sure that the children will find the greek ruins educational. Ds is going on a royal school of church music course and dd will do a one week swimming course.

I think the summer holiday is grim for kids who parents have no money to do nice stuff. Middle class kids often blossom in the summer holiday where as working class kids side backwards more heavily.

[Bonsoir]

"I think the summer holiday is grim for kids who parents have no money to do nice stuff. Middle class kids often blossom in the summer holiday where as working class kids side backwards more heavily."

I agree wholeheartedly. It's not fair. But it isn't a solution for parents who have the money to pay for extra developmental opportunities for their DC not to do so.

[Periwinkle007]

sounds a great camp. We have a week away booked staying in the UK over the holidays and hope to include nature (Eden project and evening nature walk) and also seeing how flour is made in an old working mill etc. hope to find some rock pools to investigate too as well as the Jurassic coast

[ChocolatesAreTheOnlyFruit]

Since when is reading 'work'? Music practise continues for mine (when unmotivated we look at the percentage of time spent practising compared to what will be 'free' and it doesn't seem very much at all to them) and the occasional maths activities as both are not confident in maths so it would benefit them to keep it ticking over.
Big few days tidying their rooms and getting rid of all the absolute crap items no longer needed but taking up space.
Taking them on a surprise holiday at the end of the summer so that will be fun! In the meantime they are both nvlved in theatre productions and we will have a lot of sleepovers, time with cousins, days out doing things we never seem to find time for in the term and having fun. Do need to maintain some sort of routine or eldest with HFA loses it completely (and her enthusiasm for tidying far exceeds my own so while I am procrastinating like crazy to avoid the clearing out process, she is in her element!)

[Xihha]

my 9 year old will probably spend at least half the holidays reading, not because i make him but because he really loves books and his school usually set a summer project, my 4 year old is doing little bits of maths and spelling, because she enjoys it and will be doing some reading. we'll probably write some postcards and do some drawing and making things as well.

As my 4 youngest brothers and sisters are still at school I think I've been roped into taking them and my kids on a few museum visits (we aren't too far from London) and possibly the sealife center if they all behave.

Other than that my 9 yr old and my little brother and sister (9 and 10) have asked me to take them fossil hunting while we are on holiday, to help them identify some coins they found and to help them with their latin (which they decided to start teaching themselves last summer). My 15 year old sister informs me she is going to teach my 4 year old some more Japanese (which i suspect she is only doing because she knows I can't speak it) and my 13 year old brother tells me he is teaching both my kids to play the recorder.

Just realised it looks like I'm pushing the kids an awful lot but they actually ask to do this stuff.

[BristolJim]

Oh yes! DD has just finished year 3, and will be working throughout the summer. Music practice is non-negotiable, as is memorising her times tables. Other than that, she's got to write some short stories about whatever she wants, and do a project of her own choosing. She reads loads for fun anyway, so that's not a problem.

Nothing too strenuous. It does strike me as odd though that in a modern knowledge economy, we still give our kids 6 weeks off to help with the harvest.

[Bonsoir]

Exploring is great, too. We are going to the Ile-de-Ré in August, where we will cycle, explore sites and nature and chill out. I like the DC to get lots of freedom in the holidays because poor DD, who is 8.7, cannot leave the apartment here in Paris without adult supervision at every step of the way. It's great for her to go safely to places where she can go out to the shops or for a bike ride on her own or with friends her own age.

[curlew]

I'm puzzled that people are listing perfectly normal family activities under the category of "work". Surely "work" for children is specific school related activities, not fossil hunting, writing stories about princesses or going to museums?

[HardlyMotherTheresa]

I don't see general reading, playing the piano or even completing a maths workbook as "being made to work" ????? Surely those things are fun? As are attending lectures, going to museums, playing games, going swimming, maths puzzles etc I would hate my DC to view intellectual; activities as chores to be got through and would be disappointed if my DC weren't doing them for pure pleasure so I am confused where you are coming from, OP.....how else do your DC fill the long days of Summer? Usually boredom will trigger book reading....

[Bonsoir]

I think that general educational activities are all a form of learning, which is what children's work is - to learn.

[Bonsoir]

I must say I am painfully aware that the learning that goes on at school only covers a small part of the learning spectrum to which I wish my DC to be exposed. Hence ensuring a broad range of learning and development opportunities during holidays.

[JohFlow]

My son forgets basic things (e.g time times) if he does not do a bit during the holidays. There is also a motivation thing; in that if he does nothing over the break; we have abb-dabs when he has to suddenly return to routine. So I think a little does more good than harm in the situation.