School holidays are an important time for your teen to have a break, recharge their batteries, and reconnect with the rest of their lives. You might like to try these ideas to help them enjoy their time off, while dealing with any schoolwork they might have to do over the break.

Chill out

After a hectic school term, your teenager probably needs a fair bit of chill time to recharge their batteries, so let them enjoy lounging around for a while if that’s what they want. Of course it’s also good to be active and connect with people, so encourage them to get out and about too—go for a bike ride, hang out with friends or catch up with family.

Plan any holiday work

At the start of the holidays, check if your teenager has to do any school work over the holidays. If so, work out a timetable together to complete these tasks, taking account of any planned activities or trips away. Allow for some slippage—it is the holidays, after all!

Encourage reading

Holidays are a great time to read for pleasure. If your teen chooses to start a book they need for next term, that’s great, but don’t stress about it. Leisure reading is great for learning too.

Strengthen ties

Holidays are a great time for your teenager to reconnect with friends and family and share some unrushed moments together. You could plan a family trip to somewhere related to what your teen has been learning, like a museum or science centre. Or just spend time enjoying each other’s company.

School’s out, but learning can still be in

Holiday activities can lead to learning conversations with your child. Watching a movie can lead to a conversation about how animation works. Travelling can lead to a discussion about destinations, new experiences, or how to plan an itinerary. Just keep it light—and enjoy yourselves!

Reflect and reset

When the moment is right, you might like to help your teen reflect on how they went last term, and what they could do better next term in areas such as time management, study strategies or balance of activities. If you do this towards the end of the holidays, it can help them to ease back in to the frame of mind for school.