BEATING THE SUMMER HOLI-DAZE
How do we find the right balance between giving our kids a break and keeping their minds sharp over the summer holiday?
Summer is right around the corner, which means my waiting room is full of anxious parents and antsy kids pushing to finish the school year on a high note while eagerly anticipating an extended break from the classroom setting. In addition to helping families prepare for the end of the school year, many times parents will ask me for my input and consideration about what will be the most effective use of their child’s time as they plan for the next 8-10 weeks of the summer holiday. While there is no hard and steadfast rule regarding the right balance of work and play for a child over the summer months, researchers have lent strong support to the importance of vacation trips and family-focused activities over the summer months as a way of strengthening familial bonds and priming a child for a successful start to the following school year.
WHAT THE RESEARCH TELLS US
Many of us will use this summer holiday as an opportunity to vacation with our families, an activity that research suggests has a number of significant benefits for everyone involved. A 2009 study by Dr. Xinran Lehto and her colleagues from Purdue University in the United States attempted to explore in greater detail the role that holiday breaks and vacations have on a family’s relational dynamics. Results indicated that these vacations helped to promote familial bonding, enhance communication strategies, and strengthen cohesiveness amongst all the members of the family unit. Related research studies have also noted how well timed holiday breaks help to reduce the detrimental effects of chronic stress that often surface as the result of a rigorous academic school year. Thus, not only do holiday breaks help children to approach the upcoming school year with a rejuvenated mental and emotional state, but the added bonus of an enhanced sense of familial cohesiveness and support that comes from taking family trips during those breaks can equate to a happier, healthier, and more productive child.
TIPS FOR A BALANCED SUMMER FOR YOUR CHILD
1) Teach beyond the classroom. While the majority of Shanghai-based international schools do an excellent job of combining classroom teaching with in-vivo educational experiences, the summer holiday can be a wonderful time to round up the family for a learning opportunity that extends beyond the school environment. Research with your child about places around the world you may have only read about or seen on television, and choose a destination that you anticipate will be both enjoyable and educational.
2) Keep the structure, change the subject. If you are looking to maintain the order and routine that a typical school day provides for your child, there are a number of camps, university-based programs, and independent learning centers that offer summer curriculums that extend beyond the standard core school subjects. Summertime is a great opportunity to swap classes devoted to reading, writing, and arithmetic in exchange for classes that opt for teaching robot making, computer game designing, and Lego building, just to name a few.
3) Purposefully plan for the fall. There’s a good chance that you made some modifications to your child’s daily schedule over the summer months (as you should!). But as the summer winds down and the school year approaches, it will be important to help prime your child’s brain and body for a return to the school routine. In the final 2-3 weeks before school starts, make sure that your child goes to bed and wakes up at the same time they would during the school year, and that other daily routines (eating, personal hygiene, etc.) are also re-introduced.
Dr. Balfanz is the Senior Clinical Psychologist at American Medical Center, a comprehensive medical and mental health service clinic for children, adolescents, adults, and families living in Shanghai. For more information on clinic services, contact Dr. Balfanz at: nate.balfanz@amc-shanghai.cn
