My daughter studies in an International school which essentially means our holidays start when the other kids’ holidays end. Her holiday begins now by May end and will go on till July end. With no playmates and a lovely monsoon season (sarcastic!) to add on, it is always challenging to find things to keep her engaged, occupied and most of all, happy.
Here are a few things I do on every break and holiday with her:
Gardening: I am not a nature person! Being a born and bred city girl, I have no qualms in admitting that unlike some I don’t find solace amongst plants. As luck would have it, my daughter absolutely loves to get her hand dirty and the idea of seeing tiny seeds grow into buds and plants excite her. Thus, we began a tradition of sowing seeds at the start of every holiday, watering, observing and seeing it grow. It is fun and yes, there are days when we forget to water but the overall process itself is so exciting that it’s worth the grime, mud, reptiles and all.
Travel: Being avid travelers, I have been planning trips around her holidays and breaks from Pre-K days. We consciously take her wherever we travel and that has helped her adapt to all climates, surroundings, culture and cuisines better. She’s been everywhere in Asia, Europe, Middle East and the US and absolutely amazes me with her communication and adapting skills every time we travel.
Art: My sister is a mosaic artist and since my daughter has been seeing her aunt make all sorts of fantastic artworks with glass, glue and glitter- she has been drawn to it too. Thankfully, her artistic skills are nowhere close to mine and we take up either doing a big painting, pottery project, glass painting or mosaic art work at the start of every holiday. Since the work can be spread over days, it is a perfect remedy for bored afternoons and the end result is almost always fantastic.
Sports: Since vacations and breaks are usually slow paced days, to burn some much needed energy and give them a boost for the day, I enroll her in summer classes of gymnastics, yoga, basketball or even martial arts. It is a great way for them to make some new friends, for you to get a break and for them to learn something new.
Write: Being a writer, I have always encouraged her to write and express her emotions in whatever form she likes. She had this phase of writing horror stories everyday, a few of which I even published on a children’s website to give her extra motivation. She also writes diaries and I even ask her to pen poems or thoughts that she feels she will forget later on. This is a great medium to channelise their imagination and innovative thoughts.
YouTube Channels: Due to covid, the exposure to online channels for learning and entertainment increased tremendously. My daughter, inspired by her favorite YouTube channels, puts up a video occasionally on her own YouTube channel dedicated to art, math and toys. Obviously I manage and supervise the content and comments on the channel but this a great medium to boost their confidence, have fun and since it is online, relatively safe. Unfortunately, there are a lot of perverts in the online world and as parents, we have to monitor their online presence carefully, consciously and consistently.
What do you do to keep your little ones engaged in their holidays?
Being A Girl Mom 