Active discussions

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Original poster

Will you be makeing your DCs keep up their school work in the holidays?

104 replies

sameagain · 12/07/2009 20:24

If so, what work will you set and how will you get them to do it?

DS1 is finishing year 3, very capable, but prone to poor concentration and laziness TBH

He reads well and enjoys that so will keep that up without any pressure from me and we will do the library summer reading challenge.

I am concerned that he was more or less top of the class at the end of infants but now seems to be decidedly average - which is fine if that's where he should be, but I think he is brighter than his written work shows, because he rushes it and is unfocused. I wondered if some sort of summer project might help him be well prepared for his new teacher in Sept, but don't want to make the summer one long fight. What are you planning?

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
Set a reminder
plonker · 12/07/2009 22:12

God No.

Where's the fun in that?? ...

OhYouBadBadKitten · 12/07/2009 22:13

dd will read whatever she likes, we will go and see interesting things, she will have time to relearn how to entertain herself without a schedule and we will have fun.

pointydog · 12/07/2009 22:16

No.

SueW · 12/07/2009 22:20

No work here and we have over 8 weeks of hols.

Now at Y7 and have never expected DD to do school work in hols altho work has sometimes been sent home, much to my disgust.

(Ask me again at Y11, 12 & 13 prior to Important Exams)

Hulababy · 12/07/2009 22:22

Yes I will be with 7y DD. She is off for 8 weeks. Her report last week was fantastic in all areas. She is a really birght little girl, but she lacks confidence in her own ability when it comes to spelling and maths tests. So we will keep her going with a bit of literacy/numeracy in the holidays to ensure her confidence is as high as possible. So nothing major, but a few minutes here and there. She reads all the time anyway, and does her piano practise frequently, so no worries there.

piscesmoon · 12/07/2009 22:27

Don't you remember being a DC? Work in the holidays would be dire!! Read, play games, use imagination and have fun!

ingles2 · 12/07/2009 22:39

yes, I will be with ds2.
He has dyscaluclia,and has long term recall problems with numbers,mainly because he doesn't see any pattern.
If I leave it for 8 weeks, he'll go back in September being unable to count and we'll have to start all over again.
I always try and make it as fun as possible, games and tasks in the shops with money and counting every where we go, but it has to be done. Hopefully it won't be any worksheets.
I'll probably do some with ds1 as well, just to make it seem fair or ds2 will moan that it's just him who to work.

edam · 12/07/2009 22:46

No, won't be doing any schoolwork, it's supposed to be a holiday... Unless there are reasons for concern, it'd be daft to force them to do formal work. Let them have fun.

TheFallenMadonna · 12/07/2009 23:02

Having said God no for my own DC, I have set work for my year 10s this summer, in line with school guidelines and the expressed wishes of many parents...

purpleduck · 12/07/2009 23:13

Nope, a break should be a break. Mine are both old enough to read for pleasure though, and they will be doing this no doubt.

It is very important - relaxing. I won't be planning every minute, or having activities every day. Kids NEED to chill out, and they NEED to be a bit bored and fire their imagination up thinking of things to do.

applepudding · 12/07/2009 23:18

Sameagain - My DS is like yours, just finished Y3, is very capable, but lazy and untidy with written work.

I do plan to do a bit of school work with my DS in the holidays - I think that over 7 weeks there is time for a week away, some sport, some play by himself in the garden, some play with friends, some craft, some TV, days at the park etc etc and time for a little bit of school work. Not every day - but I shall ask him to write me the odd story of what he's been doing, what was the best thing about a particular day etc Actually I'm really pleased that yesterday he told me he wanted to make a diary so he could write down what he'd been doing - for my DS choosing to write is v unusual! We also do a bit of reading each day (he likes reading) and I'll get him to practice his tables and telling me the time on his new watch!

weegiemum · 12/07/2009 23:21

Not official "school" work, but reading (which I don't really have to encourage, tbh) and also speaking to one another in Gaelic as that is their educational language. I can't speak it but they love chattering to one another and we are going to a Gaelic speaking area for a week (where we used to live) to keep it up too!

Also watching Gaelic tv, playing computer games etc ...

But little 'formal' work - its the holidays!!!

MrsGuyofGisbourne · 13/07/2009 09:27

Not school work, but they have always kept a summer diary and are now pleased to be able to look back at previous years - wish my prents had done the same with us..

zeke · 13/07/2009 11:46

I will certainly keep up the reading and try to add in a bit of maths whilst playing/out and about.

The big thing I am hoping to do is get him writing much better, but I will play that by ear. He is one week away from five and I don't want to make a massive deal about it.

VietnameseCobbler · 13/07/2009 11:47

No
that would negate the concept of a HOLIDAY

PlasticQueen · 13/07/2009 12:02

DS has been given a sudoku booklet by his teacher. I think it is because she knows he enjoys doing them rather than homework though.

Rubyrubyrubyislosing7lbs · 13/07/2009 12:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GetOrfMoiLand · 13/07/2009 12:08

Good grief.

Answer to OP a resounding NO

They are children fgs. DD is 13 and spends all her holidays on the beach, always has. And that is how it should be, not projects fgs.

ingles2 · 13/07/2009 12:10

Great, well you're all making feel really bloody guilty with your resounding no's.
What do you all suggest I do then?
Start again in September, and then have to push him really hard just to get the basics back in place?

MerlinsBeard · 13/07/2009 12:11

Not in the traditional sense no

however, we shall be "learning" about the properties of sand - planning a day trip on train to beach even if it rains!

We shall be making collages ie collecting crap stuff from the park and sticking it on a piece of paper

We will do music and dance - ie listening to the radio shaking our "thang"

PE - football in the park/wii sports

We will also no doubt engage in a massive little argument debate and discuss issues of the day such as why the hell it's piddling it down with rain in week 5 of the hols etc

TwoHot · 13/07/2009 12:15

We will be sneaking in 'work' in the form of writing post cards, making journals, day trips out to educational places like the zoo/bird sanctuary/museum and they will still read every day. They will have no idea they are still working tho!

Rubyrubyrubyislosing7lbs · 13/07/2009 12:17

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

PlasticQueen · 13/07/2009 12:21

ingles, although I have said that my children won't be doing schoolwork during the holidays, they will be doing sudoku's, reading, etc. They will also be playing games like www.lumosity.com/games/raindrops and these.

lisasimpson · 13/07/2009 12:22

yes, definitley it's not going to kill them doing a 10 mins a day just to keep on top of things is it? and when they get up at the crack of dawn and go to bed later because it's 'the holidays' there's plenty of time to fit it all in.

troutpout · 13/07/2009 12:32

Nothing...no pen will be put to paper unless it's off their own backs

They will be:

camping
swimming
visiting museums
trampolining
wrestling on the carpet
Lots of arguing and fighting
eating unhealthy food slightly more than usual.

Swipe left for the next trending thread