2023 Summer, The Best Ever Yet 💘

 Hello dear educator and parent, how's your summer holiday going? Hope it's been a jolly ride ☺ Now if I wait for your responses, I'm sure that the next 3 weeks will not be enough to take them down. A lot of parents are beginning to realize how much work the school and teachers put in daily. Some are so anxious for resumption and can't wait to zoom their children off to school. Relax... You aren't alone on this ride 😆 Enjoy every moment while it lasts.

I would like to encourage you to make the most out of this period to bond with your children as much as you can. I remember as a first-time mum when everything seemed so overwhelming; combining work, family, business, and personal development was such a hassle and I dreaded the thought of having a second child hey, 3 years later, my little princess showed up but the perfect time (COVID era) so it seemed easy because I worked from home. Although, I had lots of sleepless nights producing and editing videos for my online classes since school had drifted completely to online teaching. I suffered high blood pressure a month to the end of my pregnancy journey and had to go on mandatory leave 😬 

During the COVID compulsory lock-down period, I was able to bond a lot with my son even though it was another work in itself as an expectant mum but I'm grateful for the moments we shared and the activities we had. Now, I look at those video recordings when I taught him to read or write and they bring smiles to me. There are times I'll ask him questions about himself and do a recording. I have pictures of us in the kitchen trying to bake and other funny moments when he would wear my shoes around the house or try out my wig. Now, he has grown and laughs anytime he sees the videos/ pictures.

Why am I saying this to you? Enjoy the moment now 💪 Yes, it can be daunting but someday you will look back and you'd cherish the times you shared. Don't waste it by pushing them away or dropping them off somewhere or with someone far away that you are left with little or no time to spend together.

Here are some tips to try out with your children this summer;

💘 Teach them to pray: A lot of parents rely on the school for this but this is better learnt at home. You can introduce daily affirmations to them, this makes them confident about themselves. ( check samples at the top of this post)

💘 Have real-time talking/ discussions with them: A lot of kids have so much to say but their parents have been too busy. Now, is the opportunity to listen and pay attention to them.

💘 Get them involved in domestic chores: If your child is up to 5 years old start with washing socks, napkins, and plastic cutlery. Older children can do more chores like mopping, cooking, washing the car, and other housekeeping activities.

💘 Engage them with reading: Get lots of books and make it a culture that they read and keep a journal where they record what they have read about or learnt from a book daily. You can create a time for book reviews as a family, where everyone shares the content of a book with others.

💘 Learn a new skill: It could be as little as drawing, painting, carpentry, baking, or even computer skills.

💘 Create fun-game activities: You can come up with your creativity or help online and you'd find a thousand games a lot of families have shared.

💘 Visit new places and family members you haven't seen in a while: Children easily get bored if they keep doing the same thing or being constrained to a particular space. Be sure to tweak their daily activities now and then and take them outside to breathe some fresh air and learn something new about their environment.

Finally, while doing all these, don't forget to take good pictures and you can work with the kids to creatively design an album either hard copy or digital for the 2023 Summer Holiday! Trust me, you'd keep referring to this album till the next summer.

Kindly leave a comment if you found this useful 👌 Thank you.