How to keep your child’s brain engaged during the summer holidays
The summer holidays are an ideal time for children to relax and recharge their batteries after a busy academic year.
After a long summer term with far too many exams, your kids (and you!) deserve to kick back and put their feet up. That said, you may want to ensure that your children's minds stay engaged and active during this break. By offering a well-balanced mix of unadulterated fun and educational opportunities, you can help them make the most of their summer while also preparing them for the new school year ahead. If you’re after some new ideas of how to keep the kids ticking, here are a few suggestions.
Get them to read a book
It may sound unoriginal, but getting lost in a book is probably the best thing they can do this summer. Why not have their friends read the same book too! Not only is a great point of discussion around the dinner table, it’s a fantastic way to learn new vocabulary and stimulate imagination and creativity – perfect for their next school interview. Here are a few of our suggestions.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
A thought-provoking dystopian novel that explores a seemingly perfect society where memories and emotions are controlled.
Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
The first book in the Percy Jackson series, it introduces kids to the world of Greek gods and demigods through a gripping adventure. Be warned: your kids will become Percy Jackson addicts.
Wonder by RJ Palacio
A heartwarming story about a boy with facial differences who enters a mainstream school, teaching important lessons about empathy and acceptance, things we value so highly at Oppidan.
Teach them to cook
The idea of teaching your young kids to cook might fill you with dread, conjuring up nightmares of messy kitchens and smashed crockery. That said, cooking together should be a hugely social activity and is a great opportunity to introduce children to new skills and cuisines from around the world. For example, all kids love pizza, but do they know about where it came from? You can tell them that the concept of pizza (flatbread with toppings) can be traced back as far as the Ancient Greeks and Egyptians, but it was the Italians from the Campania region that really made it their own in the eighteenth century, making use of cheap ingredients in a very poor society. Legend has it that the ubiquitous Margherita pizza owes its name to when Queen Margherita visited Napes in 1889 and fell in love with the simple ingredients of mozzarella, fresh tomatoes and green basil.
Here are three fun recipes to make with your kids:
Mini pizzas 🍕
Spread tomato sauce on pre-made pizza dough
Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese on top
Let the children choose their favourite toppings
Bake in the oven until the dough is crispy and the cheese melting an oozing
Fruit ice lollies 🍓
Chop your favourite fruits into small chunks
Pour fruit juice and the pieces of fruit into ice lolly moulds and insert the stick
Place the moulds in the freezer for a few hours and enjoy them in the sun!
Banana pancakes 🥞
In a mixing bowl, mash up a ripe banana with a fork until smooth
Add pancake mix and some milk to the bowl and mix together with the banana
Melt a small knob of butter in a non-stick pan and pour in small portions of the batter
Fry the pancakes until golden brown and make sure the kids get a go at flipping!
Serve the pancakes with maple syrup, fruit or any other toppings that take you fancy
Clue up on culture with mobile apps
The summer holidays are a great opportunity to learn about the many things you wouldn’t traditionally learn in the classroom. Here are three phone or tablet apps that help kids engage in positive screen time.
PictureThis - Plant Identifier
To start, make the most of the great outdoors and get them in the garden. With its advanced image recognition technology, this app introduces the kids to the wonderful world of horticulture. Simply point your phone at plants, trees and leaves around you and the app will provide fascinating insights into what’s in front of you.
This Google app is a fantastic resource for kids, providing a world of artistic exploration at their fingertips. With a vast collection of high-resolution images, virtual tours of famous museums and interactive exhibitions, children can discover masterpieces from around the globe. The app also offers fun features like art-inspired selfie filters and educational games. It promotes creativity, cultural appreciation and a love for art, making it an excellent tool for expanding children's horizons and is a sure-fire way to be a hit in a school interview.
Nothing beats a summer’s evening of stargazing. Using augmented reality technology, this app allows children to point their device at the night sky and instantly identify stars, constellations, planets and even satellites. With its incredible graphics and interactive features, SkyView makes stargazing an immersive experience. It provides information about celestial objects, their history and other fascinating facts, stimulating curiosity and knowledge about the wonders of the universe.