Thinking back on my own childhood, I remember the feeling of excitement on this last day of school. Even though some students will go back home or transfer to other schools after the holiday, the energy of the day is overwhelmingly positive as we look forward to visiting exciting places overseas, staying up later than usual and playing every day, like going to the water or amusement park.
QQ's parents from one of the graduating K2 classes just shared with me that a new theme-park is opening in Suzhou, Weiting at the end of this month and they are preparing to go! Great timing to open a new theme park!
As fun as the summer holiday is, it gets a little bit more complicated for children to adjust back into school and kindergarten life after an extended period together with mom and dad every day, playing and being allowed to sleep late. For your benefit, please consider the following suggestions:
- Plan your summer: Put a calendar on your refrigerator and let your child be informed and part of the family's plans while also learning the concept of time, the importance of planning and ultimately being reminded when the holiday will end and children will return to school, so it does not come as too much of a shock on the last day.
- Spend time outside when the weather permits, feel the nature, sun, rain and clouds. Our world is amazing and nature gives us comfort. You can make a weather chart and check the weather forecast with your child in the morning. At night, you can ask "was the weather forecast accurate today?" creating a real feel of our environment and encourage your child, by example, to stay aware of weather.
- Make a behavioral / chore agreement with your child. Example: helping to put dirty clothes away, keep own room tidy, wash vegetables for salad, help swipe the floor etc. and make a reward system if necessary. (I had a weekly summer allowance of 50RMB from my parents for mowing the lawn and helping in the garden).
- Prepare your child: The summer is a great time to work on reading-skills as you have the time for extended goodnight stories. Make it fun, encourage children in the morning at breakfast time to review the story from the evening before and use examples in real life, if the story included cooking... cook together. If it included a treasure hunt... have a treasure hunt. Make everything relatable. If your child needs to work on his/hers social skills, go to the playground and make friends, do not stay inside with grandparents or parents only.
- Practice drawing, coloring, tracing and writing. Do not use the iPad all the time, get back to basics and give your child a sketch book, a pen and some crayons or markers. Every day, encourage your child to draw something new, make notes and keep it as a diary "My Summer of 2018". You will love having these memories when your children are grown-up and they will remember their summers better when they reminiscence their childhood as grown-ups themselves.
- The last 1 week of your family's summer holiday, please adjust your child's bedtime and wake-up routine to match the school he/she is going to.
Most importantly of all, it is absolutely essential that you try to make your summer holiday a fun and memorable one!
I wish all students, parents, grandparents and my wonderful colleagues a great summer!
Sincerely,
Anders S Christensen, principal
and the Hui Xin team!
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