Every child looks forward to summer vacations – time to play, rest and have fun! Summer is the best time for kids to explore and discover something new and put into practice things they have already learnt!

All parents want the holidays to work to kids’ advantage and, keeping their little ones entertained, use every opportunity to ensure that children do not lose touch with their studies. Summer activities are so diverse and learning in the real world is much more enjoyable than in the school setting!

Family vacation time primarily contributes to broadening of the child’s knowledge about everything around – no matter whether the family is travelling to a new country or camping in the neighborhood, visiting a museum or participating in a local event or a pizza-making workshop. Kids get actively involved in new experiences and explore their own curiosities, get foundation for their creativity and demonstrate stronger critical thinking skills. Younger ones benefit from interactive exhibits that offer experimental play and problem solving, while older kids and teenagers might get interested in history, culture, art, science and learn a lot more outside of the classroom environment - without the pressures of assessments!

In order to prevent the academic skills from slipping, parents should encourage children to put school knowledge into practice in practical situations at home - do some cooking together (young cooks will read recipes, calculate volume and weight, measure ingredients and even teach counting to preschool siblings), do gardening (revise the knowledge of biology and botany), make a family scrapbook (improve art and design skills).

Active engagement is a crucial element of successful learning. That’s why the benefits of family game time are undeniable! Playing all sorts of board games with cards and dice, as well as chess, Scrabble, doing crosswords can help with maths, literacy and problem solving skills; charades and Pictionary develop communication skills and analytical thinking. Children might like writing for fun: it can be a menu for a family dinner or song lyrics, or just rhyming – for the little ones who cannot yet write. Family games help keep skills sharp and catch up in problem areas.

Summer is a wonderful season to investigate the natural environment and get physically active. Getting outside - for a walk, a mountain climb, a bike ride, a beach run or sunbathing – kids get excited and curious and have lots to discuss with their parents. By encouraging “the inquisitive minds” to question “the how and why”, grownups foster a thirst for knowledge. This different experience of learning can stimulate more active engagement with topics and ideas that will then transfer into their curriculum at school. Besides, let children take photos – these snaps will bring back lots of good memories of the summer holidays!