Don't let parental anxiety add pressure to kids' summer vacations

This is also the time when many parents are worried about finding a place to send their children. How to find a place where children can play, learn usefully, safely, reasonably, and affordably… is really a difficult problem.

Summer camp "matrix"

Every summer, parents’ search for summer courses increases, leading to a variety of programs appearing. When typing related keywords on Google, parents can see nearly 16 million results, while on Facebook there are also countless options in advertising groups for summer programs with thousands of members, including organizers and parents.

Summer camps and summer courses are now very diverse in content and form, including: international summer camps, military summer camps, English summer camps, life skills summer camps, sex education summer camps, experiential summer camps and temple retreats... Participation time can range from a week to a month with costs ranging from a few million to hundreds of millions of VND, depending on the reputation of the organizing unit.

However, the explosion of summer camps has also brought with it quality issues. Not all summer camps meet parents’ expectations. Many programs promise to provide great experiences for children but the reality is not as expected. Some summer camps even pose a risk of fraud, causing financial loss to parents.

There was a case of a parent in Hanoi being scammed out of 600 million VND when registering her child for the "Border Soldier Summer Camp" on Facebook. On May 9, Hanoi City Police announced that a woman in Hoang Mai District was scammed out of more than 1 billion VND when registering her child for a "junior military summer camp" on Facebook. The victim, Ms. M., was looking for a summer course for her child and saw many advertisements for "Military Semester 2024" on fanpages.

In Da Nang, many schools have sent urgent notices to parents to be alert to scams related to summer skill camp registration. Although the police have repeatedly warned about scams when registering for courses such as "Summer Skill Camp - Junior People's Police Semester", "Summer Skill Camp - People's Police Semester", "Military Summer Camp", "Summer Military Experience" on social networks, many victims still fall into the trap.

The Cyber ​​Security and High-Tech Crime Prevention Department of Hanoi City Police recommends that people be vigilant. Parents should contact schools or organizations directly to verify information clearly before registering their children for experiential and skill courses.

Mr. Cai Quang Binh, Director of the Vietnam Youth Support Center, advises parents to visit the place to learn carefully about the location, program content, activities and costs before registering their children to participate in any summer camp program. Request an invoice from the official organizer (no intermediary, no business) to ensure legality. In the current context, parents need to prepare themselves and their children well to participate in summer camp programs effectively. In reality, sometimes adults need to prepare their children more carefully to meet the requirements of the summer camp program.

Psychologist Nguyen Dinh Son, Hanoi Psychology and Education Association, said that when choosing a summer camp, it is necessary to consider safety factors and whether the program is suitable for the child's age and educational.

“Many people expect that after just a short-term to one-month experience course, they can change their children's perceptions and behaviors, but in reality, awareness, responsibility, love... and other values ​​are formed throughout the child's growth process, requiring constant education and companionship from parents,” said Mr. Son.

Summer vacation - "extra study season"

Busy with work, no time to look after their children, so many parents are afraid that their children will be immersed in technology, engrossed in video games, or worried that if their children are absent from school for too long, they will forget their knowledge and not be able to keep up with their friends when the new school year begins. This has unintentionally turned summer vacation - the time when children deserve to rest and have fun - into a season of extra classes, making them feel bored but not dare to protest because they are afraid of their parents.

Ms. Nguyen Van Anh, Long Bien District, Hanoi, is determined not to let her child use phones or social networks during the summer. She is afraid that if she has free time, her child will be immersed in the world of phones, engrossed in video games, and exposed to harmful content on social networks. Moreover, Ms. Van Anh is also afraid that if her child is absent from school for too long, he will forget his knowledge and will not be able to keep up with his friends when the new school year begins. Therefore, she has created a dense schedule with additional foreign language and math courses. Half of the day, her child studies English with the homeroom teacher, the other half of the day he participates in courses to experience practical activities through each project. She also buys a monthly swimming card so that on weekends, she can take her child swimming early in the morning or late in the afternoon.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thanh Huyen, former Director of the Institute for Educational Management Science Research, Academy of Educational Management, commented that while the Education and Training sector is making efforts to reduce the workload and give students a proper summer vacation, many parents are anxious that their children will fall behind their friends, so they often let their children learn knowledge ahead of time. This goes against the innovative educational method - a method that aims to let children develop naturally.

Every summer, children are forced to "run around" to learn the knowledge of the next class, when this is supposed to be a time for them to relax, entertain, and rest after a hard year of school. Children need to ensure their physical and mental health, but many students are facing a situation of overload and pressure to study, leading to failure to absorb lessons, mental decline, and even aversion to studying.

Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Thi Thanh Huyen said that parents often have high expectations for their children, looking for summer boarding classes that teach Vietnamese and English, while basic life skills such as preventing abuse and training self-control are not focused on. This is a psychological illness of parents, wanting the best for their children but lacking knowledge, leading to children being overloaded and losing their childhood.

To build a meaningful summer vacation, parents need to arrange time and educate properly, manage, and train their children to be self-disciplined and self-controlled. Guide children to get used to new learning methods and routines, while balancing learning, playing, and experiencing, to avoid children feeling pressured and burdened.

According to education experts, parents should not worry about following the crowd. Children need experiences to develop emotions - a factor that helps form a comprehensive personality. Experience does not necessarily have to be organized or school-based, it can be camping with family, expanding the mind through real life.

At a young age, families who focus too much on book knowledge unintentionally cause children to lose their childhood, lacking soft skills, behavior, life skills and physical activities. For children to truly develop comprehensively, summer vacation should be a time for them to relax, have fun and learn from experiences about simple things in reality.