12 tips for a smart summer
School holiday just started; time is on our side!
Relax and recharge, keep minds active and build important life skills, without textbooks or class study.
Keep a holiday journal: develop writing skills, vocabulary, internalize the events and emotions, structure thoughts process, articulate feelings
Practice Fact-checking: choose subjects, verify, inform using school acquired research skills. Build intentional curiosity, observation skills, value for smart leisure
Set time for reading : important to continue developing comprehension skills, set aside daily reading time for whole family
Plan the family trips : research, prepare the best itinerary, list things-to-do, pro’s and con’s, look at prices and timetables. Practice everyday math skills, basic planning organisation, budgeting.
Board games: Scrabble, Monopoly, cards etc. Besides the quality time spent together in family, great for spelling, vocabulary, basic math and money skills as well as competitive and fair play.
Budget your pocket money: plan to earn and spend vacation pocket money. Use basic math skills, practice delayed gratification, understand value of work and financial independence
Family cooking time: Follow instructions, understand or recognize basic science in kitchen, practice kitchen safety. Last but not least, practice foreign language with cooking with international recipes.
Vacation healthy tips: find ideas and solutions in everyday family life, build the case and follow through to put in practice. Learn to enjoy the natural, eco-friendly lifestyle
Learn new skills: get inspiration from siblings, friends and try out, indoor or outdoor, new activities, tools, sports. Find classes or camps to practice safely and make new friends.
Make a family movie: build a scenario around a theme, craft a good storyline, add some effects and the voiceover. Test vocabulary, verbal communication, visual expression skills, attention to details.
Write a blog: whether it is about cooking, sports, movies, societal problems or even books, writing is a lifelong skill, it gets better with practice. Great for structuring thoughts, grow self-awareness, vocabulary, express emotions, stress relief
Get a summer job: earn pocket money, learn something new and meet new people through small part-time jobs. Great to acquire real-life work habits, learn to be disciplined and accountable, very valuable to advance at school degree and in building up the resume.
… and, cool or not, vacation is a great time to get sharper on skills that really make a difference . Take it easy and make it easy for the next school year!
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