Schoolwork...

I know, I know....nobody wants to do schoolwork when they're on holiday. Truth is your kids have been working all year and you think they need a break. That's true, but it's not as if they'll be doing work all day - they have plenty of time to relax. However, a little structure is good, and doing schoolwork for about an hour each day, is a nice filler in a lonnnng day of 'what can I do with these kids?'. Also, it helps keep kids' brains sharp and ready for the term ahead. When school reopens they would have been used to doing a bit of schoolwork every day so it will be less difficult for them to readjust to doing it all day.

So how do you do it? Keep it simple...they don't have to be doing full exercises and exams. Start by revising content covered in the previous term. Also, try to buy new books early and maybe even go through some of the upcoming topics with them. This will give them a nice head start when school reopens and help them be more comfortable with the material when it's being covered in the classroom. If you have really young kids, like preschool age, give them something to trace or colour. Do numbers, letters and sounds with them. Keep it even shorter with this age group...maybe 15 minutes at a time, so they don't get bored.

Remember, vacations don't last forever (unfortunately), so while having fun is important, getting those kids ready for the real world is just as important!