TODAY is the last day of school for this year.
It’s a day when students will finally put down their pens and books, and farewell another year of learning.
Today, thousands of students will either welcome the break with great joy, or face it with mixed emotions.
There is great anticipation in the air for many students.
This is a time to kick back and relax after months of studying, homework and exams.
Perhaps, as parents and guardians, this is an opportunity for us to reflect on the year that was for our young charges.
It’s an opportunity for us to look back at how we came through the year, and maybe make adjustments to how we face the new school year which starts in early January, 2020.
As we look ahead to the break for our children, let’s be mindful of the fact that we have a measles outbreak and that we are in the cyclone season.
This time of the year entails a lot of travelling around the country.
This is when families take a break and get into the holiday mode.
Lest we forget though, while we all would want to enjoy the festivities that are part of the holiday period, let’s remind ourselves about the early start to the new school term.
Perhaps we could consider planning for that as well before we bury ourselves in the festivities. Let’s also plan activities for our children before they return to classes next year.
This would be an apt time for us to teach our children to swim, take up music classes, learn self-defence or a new language for instance.
They could join a sports club, or learn ballet or become members of a library maybe.
We have to live with the fact that times have changed.
The advent of the digital age has meant more people, especially our children are now more tech-savvy.
They are more inclined to be mobile-friendly to the point where many are hooked to mobile phones daily.
The point is, the advent of the digital age has brought with it many avenues for children to occupy themselves.
Social network sites, smart phones and tablets are influencing how many of our children spend their holidays now.
We can either allow that to continue happening, or give them an opportunity to appreciate other things outside of the digital sphere.
We could nurture a child to become an avid reader with a quizzical mind.
Or we could plan an active holiday period where they are constantly discovering things and appreciating life in general.
The holidays are here! Let’s embrace the time to be with our children.
Let’s plan accordingly, and let’s enjoy these moments.
