Children, it’s ok to have a break!
As I sit down to write this, I am currently visiting my wife’s side of the family, including our two nieces, aged 1 and 3 years old. Between us, we have spent a lot of time playing in front of the Christmas tree, trying to write some Christmas cards and watching Christmas films (we will also be reading Christmas stories later!). In a way, this has been the most “Christmassy” thing I have done so far - more so than the parties, decorating and even buying presents.
Next week is the last week of term, which means the Christmas holidays are just around the corner. When I remember my time as a child, I still remember that these were the holidays I looked forward to the most, even more so than the summer holidays. It should be a time to relax, forget about school work and spend time with your family. However, that is becoming harder and harder to do for children of certain ages due to the pressures being put upon them by the government, meaning that parents are (quite rightly) worried about if they will fall behind by spending two weeks not doing work. This is especially true of those who have children in secondary school, but sadly it is becoming more true of those with children in Year 6 or those looking to do the 11+ in the following September.
It is of course only natural for parents to want the best education for their children, and two weeks without school is a long time. I will regularly have parents or clients ask me, “Is there anything extra they could be looking at over the holidays?” The answer I give is generally the same: a bit of spellings, times tables and reading, but otherwise no; enjoy your Christmas together as a family!
You see, the current educational climate is forcing children to grow up much faster than they used to, and the expectations on them have never been higher. If we continue to work our children this hard 52 weeks of the year during their school lives, many will crack or face breakdowns. Mental health in children is becoming a greater area of focus within education too, and I believe it is no coincidence that, as the expectations of an “age-expected child” have become more demanding over the past few years, the number of children receiving mental health treatment has been increasing. Of course, there are a variety of contributing factors to this increase, but you have to say the pressures of education on children is one of them.
Some children are putting this pressure on themselves, and some feel that it is wrong not to do as much work over the holidays as they would do in a normal school week. Try to reassure them that it is ok to have a rest, that they need to relax and they need to enjoy this time, for sadly it passes us by far too quickly. By all means give them a little bit of extra work to do if they want it or if you/your child’s teacher feels it is required, but balance this with plenty of recreation time, with opportunities for them to create memories that they will hold on to for the rest of their lives. Allow them to get a good rest, to recharge their batteries and to come back to school in January ready and eager to learn.
Merry Christmas to you all, and have a very happy new year.
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