Dubai: What can parents do to make the most out of the children's summer downtime?
Experts say it bluntly: do what you say.
From launching a reading project to boosting your children's social and emotional skills, or enhancing their creativity and empathy through volunteer work, there are lots parents can do other than letting their children stay glued to screens.
Here's what experts suggest:
Nadine de Mascarel, Head of Well Being, GEMS Jumeirah Primary School, Dubai
She agrees with the validity of many of the questions in the personal development plan and says some of them are “great” (What brought you joy?).
However, some questions such as "What have you learnt about yourself?", she says, are not easy to tackle, especially for younger children.
Nadine would like to add her own questions, such as: "What are you grateful for this year"; "What are your top strengths as a friend"; "In what domain would you like to have a positive impact?’"
On the issue of how to use the time during the summer time well, Nadine suggests: “Use the summer to give your child opportunities to disconnect from screens."
“Promote play, new experiences, stepping out of one’s comfort zone, spending time in nature, making new friends, building family ties. Use the summer to read.
“Read as a family, read with your child if he or she is younger, model daily reading yourself, talk about what you are reading together.”
“I believe the summer is a brilliant time to enhance our children’s’ social and emotional well-being: their self-awareness — who am I?
What are my strengths? What is meaningful to me? What are my values; their relationship skills — connecting to others, being empathetic to other’s thoughts and feelings; their curiosity and creativity — experiences of boredom are linked to greater curiosity and creativity.”
Simimol Raijo, primary schoolteacher, Dubai
“It is good for parents to help children develop their personalities during the summer, and in that sense, these are all valid questions.
"But above all, parents should focus on making their children happy,” says Raijo.
“This will, in turn, indicate children’s interests and guide parent towards the kind of skill and personality development they need.”
That being said, there are not many opportunities outside of summer holidays for children to discover their roots. Travelling back home during the summer can create these opportunities, as can undertaking a family vacation somewhere.
“In my opinion, travel-related learning is especially important for nuclear families in the UAE. Children can learn to share, develop family-oriented values and create lasting bonds with their parents.”
Shimla Faizal, kindergarten teacher, Islamia English School, Abu Dhabi
Before the start of the summer break, it is essential that parents meet with teachers to evaluate how their children have done during the year, and ascertain what more they need to bring with them when they return for classes after the two-month break, says Shimla.
“I feel a different set of goals and targets apply to every child depending on their abilities and interests.”
Another thing parents must tackle is the heavy dependence of children on gadgets and devices.
“Finally, we always try to go back home to meet extended family members so that our children remain connected to their kin despite having grown up away from them. I find that such time with family helps enhance children’s interpersonal skills while also stressing the values of respect, sharing and empathy.”
