The summer holidays have descended on our household in full ferocity! Initially I myself am caught up in the excitement of it all, no more early morning wake-ups, creative lunch box requirements, school pick ups in busy traffic and then the endless ferrying to and fro for activities, to finally finish the day with tedious homework. Nothing of the said above for a whole two months, what joy!!!! This joy of course is fleeting for as we scream with happiness at the sudden freedom, it slowly dawns on me that, with four kids at home, what am I to do to keep them sufficiently busy without it all descending into mayhem and chaos.

A certainty I have discovered over the years that children at this young age require aided entertainment, you cannot say please go read a book, for that only happens for about fifteen minutes until they are back whining about what they can do next. My children usually go through rounds of this until I throw my hands up in despair and shout fine watch TV for a bit whilst I try to string two sentences together for the looming deadline. But this summer I will not succumb to this devious plot that these ten year olds and company have devised. Infact I want it to be a summer of learning for my children. That doesn't mean copious number of classes and ad hoc studying sessions. I believe that we can incorporate learning into their play. They will have to be guided initially, but as they start to understand the process, their inquisitiveness and curiosity will eventually get the better of them.

Here are some ways to incorporate summer learning:

1. Let's get our “read” on: Reading is a wonderful way to spend a pastime, at least in my books. Some children might not share the same sentiments. Not to worry, sit down together and put together a reading list for the summer, they can give their preferences and you can sneak in some recommended classics, with possible rewards for the reading averse ones. You can always have the older children read to the younger ones or even start reading an extended classic to the children yourself, this is a good way to have a creative bonding session. Your summer reading can be taken one step further by having weekly book club meetings, keep it as causal and informal as possible, not making it a chore for the child to take part in. Maybe over teatime cookies get them to talk about what they have been reading, in this way you help your child articulate themselves, improve their understanding, thus fine tuning their comprehension skills and let loose their imagination. In this way reading can be a fun activity for all.

2. Each week try and visit an educational facility from the planetarium, to the local zoo, museums, historic statues. Beforehand you can get them to do some research on the places they are going to visit so that they know what they are going to see. After the visit, children can be encouraged to do charts, write a story about their latest visit. All these are creative as well as educational ways to keep the children occupied.

3. Maths skills can be fine tuned by getting children to help with the groceries, get children to add up the bills, figure out discounts and so on. Cooking is also a great way to get children to help with the measuring and so forth. These little chores around the house are all ad hoc sessions in fun learning.

4. Encourage your children to engage in active play. Plan obstacle courses, treasure hunts and other creative as well as physically challenging modes of play. Sometimes children are very inactive during their play sessions, relying on electronic hand held device for entertainment, but getting them to run around, use their imagination and so on are more healthy ways to spend ones time.

5. For the older children you can encourage them to begin a summer project, either write a small book, learn an instrument, fine tunes their sports skills are just some things that they can be encouraged to do.

This summer doesn't have to be a total disaster, on the days you find yourself at home, suggest some of these interesting pastimes for your children. Instead of dwelling into the depths of rounds of television and other form of electronic distraction, these more interesting ways will keep you child stimulated and  challenged till the beginning of school.

By Mayuri Jayasinghe