Vacation activities

These “lessons” rob children of valuable time to develop their psycho-motor and affective learning domains through play. The high-stakes nature of the SEA forces most parents to ensure that the vacation is not “wasted” but rather that the time is spent preparing for the dreaded SEA to ensure that they get into a “good” secondary school. Such is our misplaced understanding of education.

Many teachers will opt to voluntarily give these “lessons,” sacrificing their time to ensure their charges are not disadvantaged.

There is no doubt that by the time the exams are over children, parents and teachers all express a collective sigh of relief. Why we subject our precious young ones to such pressure continues to defy logic, given what we know about the nature and purpose of education in a modern society.

Vacation time is essential for children to develop social and emotional skills through play, exploration, and adventure. They learn to negotiate with each other, resolve differences of opinion and conflict in an informal atmosphere while at the same time having fun. Their muscles are stimulated through physical activities, thus promoting normal physical growth and development.

Communication skills are also developed in situations of play and the overall mental state of the child is enhanced.

Through involvement in organised sport and related activities children learn about rules of engagement and limits of behaviour, teamwork, respect for authority and an overall sense of discipline while pursuing activities they enjoy.

Valuable learning takes place in an informal manner, enhancing their life skills, sense of identity and self-worth. They eat and rest better, enabling healthier brain and physical development.

Against this background, parents are urged to ensure that their children are given ample time to play in both structured and unstructured settings. While supervision is important, older children need time to be on their own, guided by strict rules so that they can develop a sense of responsibility.

Parents should also make time to play with younger children to develop stronger bonds and as a means of knowing their children.

Every effort should be made to get children involved in organised sport if only as a means of exploring areas of potential. Vacation time should not be wasted and if used in the manner outlined above will augment and enhance schooling efforts. Using the vacation time to engage in remedial work is one thing, but using it as a means of robbing children of play time is another.

Childhood taken away from children is lost forever. Our obsession with getting children into a “good” secondary school robs thousands of children of their childhood annually, causing them to become dysfunctional adults.

Given that the preparation for SEA begins from Standard III, with “lessons” before and after school as well as at lunch time, it is imperative that children are allowed to play through their vacation as much as possible without the imposition of “lessons.” There is no substitute for good constructive play during these critical years of development and parents are reminded that SEA is not the most important examination in a child’s life or that quality education is not exclusive to a few secondary schools.

The advent of electronic games and social media make the active involvement of children in play and sport even more critical.