Interesting and Entertaining Activities for Your Kids during the Holidays

The holiday season is a time for both children and their parents to relax, spend more time together and nurture their relationships; and get ready for the next academic year. This is also the time when children can be involved in activities that help develop their cognitive, artistic, emotional and social qualities. Thus it is important to find age appropriate activities, since children at a pre-school level will be interested in activities that may be different than those that children enrolled in nursery schools might like to do. It has been found by many pre-schools in Pune, one of which is the MIT Gurukul, that when children are engaged in fun and informational activities, they think better and develop interest in exploring new things.

Holiday Activities are Important

While looking for activities, it becomes important to seek variety for the children and also make sure that they are interesting, varied, entertaining and amusing for them. At a young age, children develop longer attention spans when they indulge in things that bring them a sense of pleasure as well as accomplishment. Although developing particular skill sets is crucial, imaginative playtime also promotes brain growth. Therefore, encouraging a child's everyday playtime that is safe, and with parental guidance and supervision of an adult will improve brain function by promoting the development of creative talents.

In this article, we bring a list of stimulating activities for children especially collated from schools in Pune. MIT Gurukul, one among the best nursery schools in Pune, understands the importance of these activities, and encourages parents to also have their children do them during holiday time.

Sport programs or workshops: With a range of sports like running, jumping jacks, catching ball and obstacle race, children learn balance, improve hand eye coordination, and get a sense of adventure. This lays solid social emphasis for them and builds confidence. Helping their playmates get over obstacles also fosters a sense of cooperation as against competitiveness.

Fun Science Activities: Simple activities like making a periscope or kaleidoscope boxes and colored glass or plastic pieces found at home can be the first learning in science. Else visit to a science museum where children can see mirrors that show different shapes, or water fountains that seem to flow in reverse can be fascinating and educative at the same time. Trying to light a zero watt bulb wit help of potatoes will bring smile to any child’s face and give them a basic knowledge about electricity without outting the burden of scientific jargon on them. Making Holiday Cards: There are important occasions in the families of all children year long. What better way then for kids to create lasting memories than by creating special greeting cards. They can use simple materials like colored threads, beads, paper, glitters etc to create such cards and present them to their family, school friends and even teachers. This is also a way for them to bond with their parents, siblings, classmates and other people in their life. This is the best way for children to grow emotional intelligence and to draw on their creativity.Playing Puzzles: Playing puzzles helps the eye for detail in children. As they piece together a scene from a park, an animal or a bird, a house or a tower by putting puzzle pieces one after the other, they also understand how individual components make a complete whole. Completing puzzles in groups also facilitates development of teamwork, coordination and cooperation. The puzzle can also become a mirror of their real life through a family scene, or grow their first knowledge about flora and fauna by understanding about trees and animals.Making friends with food: Food habits form throughout fetal development and change continuously throughout life as a result of biological, socio-cultural, and environmental variables. Young children are at the best age for initiatives to enhance good dietary habits and establish eating patterns. By making children add and stir bournvita in their milk, or making smiley faces with ketchup over a sandwich, parents can help the children develop a positive association with food. Additionally, because early childhood eating choices continue into adulthood, investments made over this time will influence later development. Learning about no cooking food preparation like putting jam on bread, and identifying simple ingredients like nuts and fruits are a great way to make them view food differently.Having a Holiday Study Schedule: Helping children make a rudimentary schedule or timetable will remind them to take tasks like the holiday homework seriously. This keeps them from becoming distracted in watching television or simply playing all the time. It also gives a structure to their daily schedules by allotting particular times for study and play. This is a great way to develop the understanding of time management in children without making it into a formal instruction. Holiday study times can be small flexible sessions alternated with fun activities and rest periods to avoid any kind of mental strain on children.Thus by doing various activities and utilizing the holiday time fruitfully children benefit cognitively, socially, intellectually and emotionally.