Summer holidays - making memories, not just passing time

As schools close their doors for the summer and children eagerly embrace the freedom of long-awaited holidays, parents often find themselves grappling with an important question: How do we ensure that summer becomes meaningful and memorable rather than merely a prolonged break from routine?

Growing up, summer holidays were never a time for indiscipline, endless idleness, or mindless entertainment. They were precious moments spent with my parents, who understood that holidays were not simply about taking a break from learning - they were about learning differently.

My summer vacations were action-packed. There were swimming lessons and skating classes that taught perseverance and confidence. My mother patiently introduced me to the joys of cooking and baking, lessons that continue to serve me decades later. Equally memorable were the hours spent with my father, who was a gifted storyteller. He would narrate historical events with such passion and vivid detail that history came alive before my eyes. Through these conversations, he nurtured my curiosity, sharpened my thinking, and introduced me to the art of rhetoric and repartee - the ability to reason, converse, debate, and appreciate the power of words.

Looking back, I realise that these discussions around history, current affairs, and life itself were as valuable as any formal lesson, shaping not only what I knew but how I thought. Nature walks and gardening sessions opened my eyes to the wonders of flora and fauna. Time spent visiting family and friends strengthened relationships and taught me the value of community. Days with cousins created bonds and memories that remain vivid even today.

Not a moment was wasted, and not once do I remember being bored.

The memories from those summers have outlasted any toy, gadget, or fleeting trend. They shaped who I became and provided life lessons that no classroom could have fully replicated.

Today’s children need the same intentionality.

The reality is that we live in an era where every experience contributes to personal growth. Every activity has the potential to build skills, character, interests, and confidence. Whether we like it or not, everything children do today contributes to building their profile and shaping the people they become. Children need to understand this. They should be encouraged to choose pursuits that enrich them rather than simply help them pass time.

One of the greatest casualties of modern childhood is sustained reading. Summer holidays once meant binge reading for many of us. We devoured books without the pressure of assessments or deadlines. Parents would do well to revive this tradition. Establish family reading hours. Visit libraries and bookstores. Allow children to discover the joy of getting lost in a good book. Some of my fondest holiday memories involve disappearing into the pages of a novel for hours on end, emerging only when called for a meal.

Similarly, family movie nights can become opportunities for shared experiences and meaningful conversations. While there is no shortage of digital content available today, some classics deserve a place in every child’s upbringing. Films such as The Sound of Music, Pygmalion, Gone with the Wind, Home Alone, and Jurassic Park offer entertainment while also providing cultural references and life lessons that transcend generations.

Most importantly, holidays should not become synonymous with screens.

A little extra screen time may be inevitable, and late nights followed by leisurely mornings are part of the charm of summer. However, day-long doomscrolling should be firmly off-limits. Hours spent passively consuming endless content rarely leave children with anything of lasting value. In contrast, a day spent learning a new skill, pursuing a hobby, volunteering, reading, creating, exploring, or simply engaging in meaningful conversations leaves a far richer imprint.

For older students, summer presents an excellent opportunity to explore the world beyond school. Internships, workplace visits, job-shadowing experiences, volunteering opportunities, and mentorship programmes can provide invaluable exposure to careers and real-world environments. Such experiences not only help students discover their interests but also build confidence, responsibility, and perspective.

The beauty of a meaningful summer is that it does not depend on expensive travel plans.

Whether families are travelling abroad or staying at home, memorable holidays can be created through intentional experiences. A family road trip, a visit to grandparents, a gardening project, learning a new recipe, joining a sports programme, reading a series of books, exploring museums, pursuing a passion project, or simply spending uninterrupted time together can become treasured memories.

Years from now, children are unlikely to remember the countless hours spent scrolling through social media feeds. They will remember the swimming lessons that taught them courage, the recipes they learnt from their parents, the stories their fathers told, the books they devoured, the laughter shared with cousins, the places they explored, and the conversations that made them feel seen, heard, and valued.

Summer holidays should leave children with more than a tan and a collection of photographs. They should leave them with skills, experiences, stories, and memories that enrich their lives long after the season has passed.

The question for parents this summer is simple: Are we merely filling time, or are we intentionally creating experiences, relationships, and memories that will last a lifetime?

Dr Sheeba Jojo is an educator living in the UAE