Holidays and the concentrated mind

Maintaining a balance between recreation and work could prove to be a positive path for students

The mid- year ho lidays are upon us and it is timely for parents to ask how co approach the break from the point of v iew of their children. Holidays are necessary for breaking ro u tine, refreshing the mind and relaxing. However, d1ey can also be an opportunity for students to discover a new balance between rest and effort.

All students tend co look forward ro the idea of a holiday; The school term can vary in length between seven to twelve weeks. Students and their teachers look forward to a break from the early m o rning starts and the fullness of the term. Holidays usuaJly provide a complete break from school. The exception may be that some schoo ls provide activities and structured support for students in senio r years These schoo ls might offer study revision classes or time when major works for particular s ubjects such as Art and Design and Technology be completed. Ir is also possible that schools offer holiday care for students co he lp working families.

The question that should be asked is whether a complete break from study is, in fact, the best use of holiday ti.me.

Family time

A recent stu d y in Taiwan asked parents what they value most about school holidays. Taiwanese students are ctu·rendy on summer holida)'s. When planning for the h o lidays, parents in Taiwan firstly b u dget for famil y time. That is, they first aJlocare money and time for a holiday with the ir children. l.nterestingly, their second consideration is private tuition and study camps. This means that once the joint ho lid ay part of me school break i s ove r, t he parents expect their children to engage in some structured study, despite being on holiday

Balancing time

A balanced app r oac h to d1e holida)'S in cludes a mix of compl ete rest and rel:urntion, some ph)'sical activity, some reading, some mental exertion and some recreational and socia l time.

Students shou ld be allowed to have some comp lete days off to d o as they like - sleep in, watch televi s ion, play electronic media, socialise with friends and relax However, once a few days have passed, d epending o n the age of the stud ent, it is appropriate to expect that one to two hours of academ ic work be done on eac h weekday. This might include an hour of reacling, some time revising past notes, doing practice questions, expanding their reading and revising of schoolwork covered in the school.

Focus is the key

J\ cruc ial issue w im respect to holiday work is how to focus Students might feel like it is very unfair or difficul t, co concentrate when they are on holidays There are several strategies that parents can adopt incl udi n g a discussion about the need to balance between rest and work, as well as to encourage children to take advantage of this time to think and integrate concepts and learning, and ro provide a chance to set goals and feel the personal re\vard of achievi ng d1em.

Balancing work and rest

In the smd y of orga nisational ps ycho logy there is a n understanding that coo much work can cause distress. Bue coo little work can be stressful as well

The optim al level of stress is caJled 'e ustres s' and in dus range of stress, peop le perform to their op timal capacity. Studen ts who rest too muci1 or work too much will tend to become stressed eas ily when pressured by the idea of srudy. However, a small amotmt of study, some phys ical activity, so m e socialising wid1 friendsthese are perfect days. Students who study and then play cricket, watch a m ovie, go shopping or spend times with friends are much more likely to feel like the leisure is well -d eserved and d1erefore more highly \7alued.

To help children find va lue i.n appreciating the benefit of some structured study time, parents can start by teaclung d1em about goal setting.

Goa I setting

If asked what they would like co aclueve, many students might shrug uncertainly, or they mig ht say something extremely likely co make t heir parents proud such as beconu.ng a doctor, lawyer or pharmacist. Some might cheekily say d1ey would like co be a BoUywood scar or even a famous millionaire. The reality is that achievable, bur chaJlenging goals drive the best performance.

\'(/hen the goals come from within me child, d1ey are a source of inspiratio n , e nergy and focus

Parents can help childre n focus on goals by helping chem understand d1eir srrengths, listening to and sharing their interests, and by showing rnem how goals can be broken down into a series of small, manageable steps.

Goals can be negotiated at the scare of the holidays in orde r co make the most out of th e holidays These can in cl ude some goals for how much recreation, soc ial time, family time and also study time can be expected ove r the holidays

Predictability, structure and order

Even during the holidays predictability, order and structure are importa n t. Th.is is because to study for an hour or two a day requires some planning and discipline. lf the study is done early in the day, a mild feel a sense of achievement and pers o nal satisfaction, and e nj oy the rest of the day wid1 a great sense of accomplishment.

iPhone and iWon't

There are very many distraction s for stud ents when t hey try co concentrate. Primary arnongst these is ready access co e lectronic media and socia l nel:\vorking sites such as Facebook. J\n aspect of holiday discipline is to help students wean themselves off constant access to d1e phone, mus ic and the internet. Surprisingly, they mig ht fi nd d1at they actually remember more, get more study done in less time, and start co intrin sicall y enjoy learni ng. The phone, music and iorernec will still be d1ere in an hour!

Holiday revision courses

One way for older s tud ents ro spend productive ti me during d1e holidays and also to meet ocher students is to attend h oli day revision courses. Spending rime at such course s can help smdents revise material already covered in sci1ool or to introduce areas of study diat w ill be covered. This exposure can rake stress off term time. A disad vantage of d1ese c ourses is that the)' can be expensive or require travel. An advanL'lge of the courses is that they can help to provide focused and supported smdy time. Furtherm ore, they can be ve r y affirming for studen ts, especially if d1ey already know the content and realise that they are learning strategies for appl ying me skills and kn owled ge t hat d1ey al1·eady have

Hitting the ground running

Srudents who cake a few d ays off from all smdy and thereafter integrate a sm all amount of disciplined study into eaci1 weekday of d1eir holidays will be doing themse lves a great service. The y will feel rested and relaxed whilst a lso ensuring that their mind is active, and they wiU be exercising their iliinking. With so me physical activity thrown in, yo u can have the perfect break.