Summer Holidays 2024 — Teacher Tips

Having children at home for the summer may sound like a dream: a time to be a big kid yourself and get quality family time; or it may be a delicate juggling act that costs a lot of money and can easily go wrong. Hopefully, this blog post will give you some ideas on what you can do – admittedly, from a teacher’s point of view – to help you and the kids survive the summer break together.
 

Establishing Routines

Routines are going to be essential. I’m not suggesting a formal timetable, but maybe setting out expectations from the start will be a way to set holiday routines in motion. What time are they going to bed, since no night in sight is a ‘school night’? What’s the morning routine? Will you limit phone, gaming and gadget time? (Do you know how to limit Wi-Fi and screen time on their devices? It can be done!) These might be the ground rules that give each day some structure. It will depend on your child’s age, and how many children you have, but it can be reasonable to expect a bedtime routine to continue and a morning routine to work around the usual adult work schedules and responsibilities.

A visual jobs list and timetable is used widely in schools – why not have one at home? Each child could have their own timetable and their own chores or minimum expectations each day. This can be backed up by their chosen rewards, on a chart – plus it can be a way for a growing child to have a bit more independence and responsibility. Take a look at some of the attractive rewards charts on CGP+ for ideas. Stickers or stamps still work as rewards, even at home, and are a great way to show progress.
 

Keeping Healthy

Daily health is an important consideration when the school lunchtime structure disappears. Primary pupils either have a school meal or a packed lunch. Set lunches might be something you consider continuing, alongside a choice of healthy drinks and snacks. Some people hide all the treat snacks until it’s treat time and instead put fruit or vegetable snacks out. It’s amazing how a hungry kid will snaffle a banana or apple when there’s no other choice! We do this every day at school and it works.

The beauty of a pre-made lunch is that it’s done and there to have at the right time, with no big debate and no requirement to rustle up a hot meal in the middle of the day. This also helps avoid the temptation to snack all day or lose healthier eating routines that might happen daily at school.

Alongside the healthy eating vibe, you could establish a regular exercise routine. Walking the dog or just going to the nearby park and playground can be a family event, being something simple and enjoyable that everyone benefits from. You could take your lunch and have it at the park – you only need a blanket to make it a picnic. Older children could be given the responsibility of packing lunches or organising menus and shopping lists.

Exercise does not have to be anything out of the ordinary. Swimming and swimming lessons will continue, weekend sports too, but in the week a bike ride, going to the local park, walking in the sunshine or rain, a paddle in a stream, can all be taken at greater leisure. Walking can be more of a motivation if you involve gadgets. Try taking photos and creating an album about the summer break. Most phones and tablets have some sort of app for keeping a blog, diary or journal and it can be a great time for your child to focus on keeping a reflective journal, appreciating the week that’s just gone by.

New healthy skills might be something to start in the six-week break, such as learning to swim or ride a bike. Skateboarding, jogging, basketball, tennis – these are all doable at most local parks. CGP+ has some great swimming resources.
 

Being ready for the new term

It might sound like the last thing a child wants to do, but keeping school in mind can be a way to occupy them in the holidays. Most schools put information about the term ahead on their web pages or explain topics that are forthcoming during transition activities. Your child could collect up some of their holiday activities into a scrap book and present it in the new term, making a fantastic first impression.

Another element of learning that might work well in the holidays is retaining number bonds and essential multiplication facts. Each week could have a new challenge and you could work on it as a family. You could try playing the interactive games on CGP+ together — there’s some for Early Years, KS1 and KS2. Knowledge can so easily evaporate, but basics like this make learning in maths so much more enjoyable for pupils when they return to school.

Similarly, reading is a key life skill at the heart of daily school learning. Reading for a few minutes a day has broad benefits for everyone involved. To help mitigate the cost of new books, children could try to set up a book swap club with their friends. You might want them to review a book or add it to their journal. You could tick off each book they read and add it to their scrap book with their review. Teachers love to hear about books pupils have read – it helps them set up their own class libraries and tailor lessons to interest pupils. If your child needs some guidance writing book reviews, you can use these resources on CGP+.

Longer term activities

Alongside these routines, you might want to think about planting seeds early on for longer term projects over the six-week break. Your child might enjoy painting and could put on an art exhibition when they have ten pieces to show. Construction toys often occupy a great deal of time, so why not ask your child to work on a project that might take longer than a couple of hours, such as making a mini city, a model of the house or their bedroom in miniature? They could try creating something linked to a school topic that they then take in on the first week back. Maybe they could start a board games club or even create their own board game.

Giving your child a longer term look at the holiday can help to give structure to the weeks ahead. You may be going on holiday at some point and a calendar page can be a fun way to count down the days or mark off major events. This will give them something to look forward to but also to plan for. If you are going to the beach, they might want to hunt in the shed for their sandcastle making kit or make a kite to fly on the beach.

As the break approaches, it’s a good idea to look on local websites, in local community hubs and shop windows to find out what is happening locally. Free things to do in the holidays are often just around the corner and it’s a great way for your children to keep up with their friends and make new ones, too. One benefit of these is that the materials for crafting and sports are often provided.
 

Hey, teacher, leave those kids alone!

You will detect a strong teacher bias in everything I’ve said. But I’ll honestly admit that I too get out of my routines too easily in the six-week break and try to set out ideas and projects before the term ends to avoid all these temptations to over-relax! The ‘back to school’ posters may have you cheering, but to pupils and us teachers, it can be an anxious time thinking about the term ahead and maybe regretting wasting the time that has gone! It is great to look back over a summer break that was fun, with some new learning and experiences, new reading and new skills and chances to do the things you love. It also feels good to know you have prepared the way ahead and kept some of the healthier routines in your working and school day, making the start of term a smoother transition.

I have been a teacher for 28 years, deputy head for about twenty-four of those, and taught from Reception all the way up to Year 6. In this time, I did a two-year stint with my local authority as an adviser for ICT, working in a wide range of schools with teachers and children. I have always been a class teacher at heart, inspired by the wonderful minds of pupils, which makes teaching such an intense but creative and satisfying career.

Take a look at CGP+ resources by Simon.