Summer vacation in the true sense

Summer is the "golden" time for children to observe, explore the world around them and have unforgettable memories.

Summer vacation is just a few weeks away. How is your child's summer going?

My niece's answer, who is in 4th grade, will not surprise many people because it is similar to the summer vacation schedule that many families have for their children. She said that during the summer vacation, she will go to English, math, and Vietnamese classes at her teacher's house. On free days, she will go to drawing and dancing classes. It has been like that every summer for the past 3 years. Her mother has already filled up her schedule.

Summer vacations in the past and present also have significant differences. For our 7X and 8X generations, summer vacations were associated with summer afternoons of catching cicadas, picking royal poinciana flowers, jumping rope, playing hopscotch... Back then, we had real summer vacations, without having to bury our heads in extra classes. This was probably the time when we could have fun and truly relax after stressful days of studying at school.

Now, instead of getting away from books, many children are engrossed in extra classes, some of them are only able to leave their books for about a week before having to enter the "third semester". The reason comes from parents' fear that their children will forget all their knowledge when they don't touch books during the summer months or want their children to study in advance so that they won't be surprised when entering the new school year... Especially for those who will change levels next year, especially those who will take the entrance exam for grade 10 or high-quality grade 6, the previous summer vacation is considered a full review schedule. Another reason comes from the fact that summer activities in some places lack appeal and are too formal. Along with that, in many places, especially in the city, parents are busy with work, afraid that if their children don't go to school and stay home alone during the summer, they may encounter risks and dangers such as drowning, electric shock, or even getting lost in playing video games, so they have to accept sending their children to extra classes so that someone can supervise them.

After a stressful time studying, summer vacation is an opportunity for children to have fun and relax. Not only for rural children, summer activities have a special meaning for urban children...

Instead of letting your child enter the “third semester” by taking extra classes, parents should spend more time with their children. This is the time when parents teach children life skills; help them do housework, share work with family members. Summer is also the time when children are not caught up in studying, so they can freely play and bond with family members. Letting children return to the countryside to live close to and explore nature is also a good way for them to have a memorable summer vacation.

To encourage children to participate in summer activities, localities, schools and families need to have close connections. Summer activities organized in villages and residential areas must be innovated accordingly. In addition to letting children practice team etiquette, it is also possible to organize clubs and small activity groups based on children's talents and interests such as soccer, painting, hip hop dancing, chess, etc. Localities need to pay more attention to investing in facilities and playground equipment for children during the summer at village cultural houses and residential areas.

Nowadays, many parents take their children on trips and enroll them in life skills courses instead of learning knowledge. Therefore, programs such as “Military Semester”, cooking classes, and swimming lessons are increasingly attracting students during the summer. Children can learn many interesting things through fun and entertaining activities.

Summer is the “golden” time for children to observe, explore the world around them and create unforgettable memories. When children enjoy a fun and exciting summer, they will enter the new school year with an excited mindset, easily absorbing new knowledge. Let them have a meaningful and complete summer vacation because children have the right to learn and the right to play.

BAO ANH