Home
 

Do Something Meaningful for your June Holiday Programme!

by Siew Peng, Trainer

June holiday is here again, and so is the June Holiday Camp. I use the word again as, yes, it happens every year, but more of the feeling of uhm... what should I do with my kids this June holiday.  As a parent and an educator, I sometimes have conflicting values. I find myself unconsciously searching for a June holiday program, hoping to fill the kids in with programmes so that they are gainfully employed; regardless of whether my kids really need those programmes.

One day I was at a primary school, having a session whereby children apply critical thinking by looking beyond the obvious strengths and weaknesses of things and people around them. We had the students discuss in groups what are the strengths and weaknesses of a smart phone versus a grandparent staying with them.

All groups presented their points and I observed a few findings on average:

  • Smart phone has more strengths than weaknesses.
  • Grandparent staying with them has more weaknesses than strengths.
  • Smart phone has more strengths than grandparent staying with them.
  • Grandparent staying with them has more weaknesses than smart phone.

As a concerned parent and educator, you may like to know some declared strengths and weaknesses of grandparents staying with them:

Strengths of grandparent staying with them:

  • Cook for them.
  • Wash clothes for them.
  • Send and pick them up from school.
  • Take care of them when parents are not around.

Weaknesses of grandparent staying with them:

  • Smell of ointment and at times not bathing.
  • Overly protective and everything also cannot.
  • Always watching TV programmes which means they cannot watch.
  • Volume of TV programmes is so loud until they find it irritating.
  • Very nagging.
  • Very blur.
  • Always sick and coughing so loudly.
  • Likes to touch their things without permission.

It is no surprise that children nowadays see their grandparents more of a helper at home than as someone who is close to them. Our children apparently do not appreciate the expression of love their grandparents have for them and could not understand the difficulties grandparents face at a golden age.

How do we as parents and educators bridge this gap?

Fortunately, I found a great programme for my daughter this June holiday; she is practicing Cha Cha together with my mum, who acquired the basic steps some years back and has forgotten them.

The fruitful news is I hear more about her telling me how great her grandmother is with the dance steps and how much fun they have. I hear more about how surprised she is that her grandmother can dance at such an old age, when she thought Cha Cha was only for the young and vibrant. I then knew I had done my part as a parent and an educator; in addition, as a daughter.

So what’s your enrichment programme? Happy June holiday!