| A Fun and Productive Summer Vacation |
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Summer break from school is rapidly coming up, and since every kid is looking forward to escaping school, sleeping in and watching television and mindless movies, parents are concerned about how to maintain a healthy balance of relaxation and productive use of discretionary time so that the kids, children don't return to school this Autumn, claiming that they did "nothing" all vacation long. Blended families have the extra stress of planning for summer visitation, coordinating parent schedules and ensuring that their brood have structure as well as a good time. Michele Farias, a teacher and school counselor for at least twenty-five years, tackles this compelling topic in her popular book, "25 Ways to Keep Your Child Safe, Healthy and Successful: Lessons from a School Counselor." She states that she is often surprised at the number of youngsters who say that they did nothing meaningful for the entire vacation from school. Naturally, summer is a chance to relax, unwind from the stress of a demanding school workload and indulge in fun activities that may not be feasible the rest of the year. In any case, Ms Farias believes that it is beneficial for kids to balance summer vacation time with productive activities in order to prepare them for a more purposeful school year to look forward to. Following are several helpful hints in a chapter exclusively geared to summer activities: Family Time Summer vacation offers a great time for increasing family time. This is particularly important for children in blended family units that may not be able to maintain close ties with cousins, grandparents and family friends because of transitioning between households, or because of geographic or logistical challenges. Families may be able to feel close again by traveling together on a road or a camping trip, spending time at the beach or the park, playing board games or having fun with a sport or a pastime. Ms Farias labels these activities "memory builders," because when people recall important and significant childhood memories, they generally involve family activities. Family outings furnish an ideal opportunity to enjoy meals together, sleep in close quarters, share experiences and strengthen relationships. There are many diverse ways to accomplish this without spending a lot of money, and Ms Farias encourages parents to go to www.puttingfamilyfirst.org for creative and reasonable ideas for affordable family fun. A relaxed summer schedule ensures a perfect opportunity to make time for family dinners which can be impossible during the jam-packed school year. Family dinners can be a particular challenge in blended families who have conflicting schedules, transitioning children and general lack of time. It is noted that family dinners increase communication, cooperation and closeness, and decrease the probability that children will participate in drug and alcohol use. Resolve to enjoy meals together when the entire family is sitting face to face, involved with each other and not pulled away by cell phones, Blackberries, TV or video games. This does not require using the best dishes or having grandma's manners on display. Instead, keep it simple and have each family member contribute in every way, from planning meals, buying the ingredients, preparing the meal and setting and removing the dishes from the table. Even the smallest members of the family will feel useful, and all the members will feel more connected, more appreciated and an important part of a cohesive family unit. Participate in Activities Summer break offers a great opportunity for kids to try new skills and activities that they may not have a chance to investigate throughout the rest of the school year. Try a camp offered by the your city's recreation department, or a sports camp arranged by hometown schools or universities. Acquiring a previously unattempted skill or sport, polishing an existing skill or experimenting with something altogether different will be a unique learning experience that would never happen otherwise. teenagers may want to delve into the world of work, by offering child-care services, mowing lawns or detailing cars, or applying to be an intern in a career field that they may be considering. These fascinating forays into the real world provide young people with a small glimpse of what it means to be at work promptly, stay on task, and live up to responsibility away from the influence of parents and teachers. This learning experience is invaluable to teens as they get ready for independent living while pursuing higher education. Reading Summer reading should be an essential part of summer vacation, and Ms Farias advocates a daily goal of at least thirty minutes a day with no TV, computer, or I Pod in sight. She firmly maintains that reading skills contribute highly to achievement in school, and notes that kids who are not good at reading have trouble in all subject areas, even math. She asks that parents and guardians help their children understand that reading is valued in the home, and in order to convey this important message to their children, Ms Farias suggests the following: 1) read to younger children every day; 2) talk over with teens what they are reading and encourage them to discuss plot, characters and setting; 3) take excursions to the library and assist in finding appropriate books for tots; 4) join book groups; and 5) consistently give children books as gifts. About AuthorSheena Berg, a blended family coach with Blended-Families.com enjoys writing articles and book reviews for their free step-parenting newsletter. Visit our site for more helpful information regarding Michelle Farias, and her book.WEBMASTERS: Use of this article requires the links to be intact. Source: ArticleTrader.com |
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