July is a month of vacation for students throughout the country and a necessary break following a school year that brought about the almost total return of in-person education after two years of virtual classes.
Higher levels of violence, detection of psychological issues, and the increased use of technology across all ages are some findings that have marked the return of in-person classes.
Summer break is the perfect opportunity to relieve the tensions resulting from the return to classes after the unprecedentedly long quarantine.
The following is a series of activities that will allow you to leave the screens aside and work on your family’s skills:
- Visit museums or theaters: after two years of confinement, many look forward to going outside. If you are planning on going out of town, visiting museums or theaters can be an ideal way of getting to know the local culture of your destination, but if you are staying home, this is also a perfect way to break the daily routine.
- Playing sports and outdoor activities: whether playing online with friends to pass their time, attending classes, or doing homework and tests, most young people spent most of their time behind a screen during quarantine. For this reason, being active among friends or family will allow them to regain the social skills affected by the pandemic.
- Bonding through board games: although they are less commonly used nowadays and have been replaced by technology, it is good to allocate some time during the week to this type of activity, which allows the development of motor, mental and sensory skills. They help enhance concentration, memory, observation, and imagination. They also teach how to solve problems, develop strategies, make decisions, and understand the rules of coexistence. Some popular choices include Catan, Monopoly, or Jenga, among many others.
- Cooking: it is always advisable to involve children in making recipes. Through this activity, children will discover that preparing food can be fun while working on creativity.
In addition to these activities, providing spaces for conversation, asking the children about how they have been feeling, and listening will allow adults to understand what this return to the “new normal” has meant for the young people.
