This break is the opportunity for many activities: travelling, the outdoors, the beach, relaxation, and a well-deserved break from the routine. What is less obvious are the many simple opportunities to create culturally enriching experiences for our children, or the many activities that will build their character and open their minds.

Countless activities allow children to make new friends, discover new abilities and learn new things. Enough to strengthen their self-confidence and acquire more social and intellectual skills; the ideal combo to prepare for the next year, with joy !

Discover in this article our tips and advice for your children to grow and benefit from these few weeks of fresh air.

Boredom is the door to creativity ?

On vacation, your children have plenty of free time. They no longer have the formal structure imposed by school and extra-curricular activities.

This can come as a surprise and be confusing for children who are used to being constantly stimulated. Indeed, boredom is a feeling that no longer exists in our modern society. And being bored can be unsettling as it has become an unknown feeling. Yet, it is the perfect way to develop creativity. Boredom is the opportunity to use your imagination, expand your skill in unfamiliar fields, and strengthen your ability to rely on yourself. Learning from boredom as an impulse to creativity is an asset.

The sandcastle lesson

If you’re on vacation at the beach, it’s probably time to start building a sandcastle. Alone, or with your help, your children are buzzing around this construction site while showing you the progress of their work with pride.

Make way for perseverance when a tower doesn’t hold straight the first time. Room for imagination to invent stories about knights and their adventures. And magically, here appears a crowd of curious little heads who come to help you consolidate the structure. Enough to give you a few minutes to read page 2 of your book and let your child mingle. All before the sea takes the castle away, and despite the feeling of injustice or disappointment, reminds them always seize the present !

Getting out of your comfort zone to make friends

Your children have recovered from the disappearance of the sandcastle. The time to make new friends has come! It’s time to overcome your shyness and reach out to others, talk to young people who don’t necessarily speak the same language. Beyond the memories engraved in the hearts, these encounters are also an opportunity to strengthen self-affirmation, openness to others, respect and tolerance. This new inseparable group of friends also gives you, as a parent, the opportunity to give your children a little more freedom than usual; heading to the village to eat an ice cream, taking a walk on the next beach or even the experiencing the first evening out. Enough to strengthen their sense of responsibility, capacity for autonomy and for you to become the best parent in the world again! It’s been a while…

A lust for adventure

Holidays represent an array of opportunities to discover and rediscover. Make way for adventure and expeditions !

Why don’t you head out to discover that beautiful cove on a nearby beach ? What about a bike ride to that ice cream parlour? Head back to that beautiful mountain trail ? Take a long walk to find this restaurant away from tourists ? Going on an adventure, and even getting lost along the way, can be an opportunity for beautiful family moments.

Holidays are important

Whatever the destination or activity, holidays are source of many learnings and enrichments, far from the stress and the rhythm imposed by the school.

It is also a period in which you have time! Time to share quality moments, let go of the usual rules and discover your children differently. Time for yourself and time for them, time to change the world and even invent new ones… The atmosphere at home is loosened and family ties strengthened. Something to look forward to !

Holidays play an important role in the growth and wellbeing of your children; just as important as those of work and school. Knowing how to disconnect is essential. And, as we have seen, your children can achieve this through boredom, sandcastles, creativity, sociability, discovery and much more….

And if you need to keep them busy for a few weeks while you’re at work, EDUCOM is there to help you find the best summer programmes !