Fill your summer vacation not just with activities, but with meaning: Advice from an expert

Summer vacations are an important period for children to rest and recharge after a challenging school year. This process is also a significant interval for children to stop, slow down, think, feel, and start anew.

For this reason, a “productive” summer vacation should be a period that is good for the child's inner world, supports their development, and considers their needs.

Child Psychiatrist Specialist Dr. Berna Aygün provided information about activities that rest not only the child's body but also their soul during the summer vacation.

SUPPORT CHILDREN'S MENTAL DEVELOPMENT

During the school term, children have a heavy mental load. However, mental development progresses not only through academic success but also through emotional experiences.

Summer vacation can be a period where the child can gain awareness about themselves, think, and listen. This can allow the child to develop a more resilient, confident, and flexible mental structure.

CREATE A SPACE WHERE THEY CAN HEAR THEIR OWN VOICE

Some children may be introverted, some extroverted, some active, and others calmer.

Every child's expectations and needs from a vacation are different. The important thing is not to force the child into a “vacation mold,” but to open up a space by considering their nature, rhythm, and temperament.

ALLOW THEM TO BE BORED

Today, many caregivers worry about their children being bored. However, boredom is a necessary stop for a child's mental development, a space where they can be alone with themselves and engage their imagination.

A vacation filled constantly with activities leaves no room for the child to expand their inner world.

Being bored for certain periods paves the way for the child to set up their own games and think in creative ways. Creating space for them to drift into their own thoughts can support the child's independence and creativity.

FREE PLAY IS THE CHILD'S SPACE FOR REAL LEARNING

Unstructured, freely played games are one of the healthiest ways for a child to process their emotions, imagination, and experiences.

Playing with mud, collecting stones, riding a bike on the street with friends, or building worlds with their own toys at home is very valuable for a child's psychological development. Because the child tries to understand both the world and themselves through play.

While playing, the child actually processes their emotions. While making a mud castle, they can release the anger they have accumulated throughout the year, or they can establish their own inner order by arranging stones.

While repeating what they experienced one day with their dolls, they might sometimes express an issue that worries you. Play is the child's language; it is like a window for an attentive adult.

HAVE PLENTY OF CONTACT

Of course, there should be room for flexibility regarding screen time under today's conditions. However, the main place where a child is nourished mentally is the areas where they can establish real relationships.

Simple interactions such as eye contact, laughing together, chatting, cooking, and taking walks ensure that the child feels valued and that they belong.

TIME SPENT AS A FAMILY INCREASES THE CHILD'S SENSE OF BELONGING

Summer vacation is not just for fun for the child; it is also a time to reconnect with their caregivers with “good enough companionship,” listen to stories, and touch their roots.

A day spent with older generations, an evening where caregivers tell about their own childhood, old photos looked at together… All these reinforce the child's sense of belonging.

CONTACT WITH NATURE IS MENTAL NOURISHMENT FOR THE CHILD

Climbing trees, stepping on soil, picking flowers, swimming in the sea, lying on the grass… All these provide both sensory and mental regulation for the child.

If possible, bring children together with nature this summer. Even if you live in the city, you can keep the feeling of nature alive with small opportunities such as park walks, watching the sky together, and playing with water.

PLAN SUMMER COURSES TOGETHER WITH YOUR CHILD

Of course, short-term courses or social activities can be planned during the summer vacation. But the basic principle should not be to send them to summer school six days a week just so they “don't stay idle,” but rather for the child to voluntarily participate in something they truly want.

Mental development happens in free experiences.

LESSON REVIEWS WITH GAMIFIED ACTIVITIES

For children who have struggled throughout the year, resting for a while can be good. However, towards the end, short-term reviews can be structured by including gamified activities.

Ensure they do the homework given by their schools together with a regular but flexible daily life activity.

Summer vacation is not just a time interval for the child; it is a space where they can become subjective, rest, and grow.

To be able to design this process by considering the best interests of the child, it is necessary to offer them enough space, enough boundaries, and enough companionship.

A child remembers the love they felt, the game they played, and the freedom they experienced during summer vacation as an inner resource when they become an adult. That is why when planning a summer vacation, one should think not only about what they will do, but how they will feel.

PLAN SIMPLE ACTIVITIES THAT ENCOURAGE CREATIVITY

These activities can be applied according to your child's age;

Imagination journal: Give your child a notebook where they can write or draw what they think and what they imagine every day.

Home theater: Watch your child perform a story they wrote themselves together with all family members.

Art from nature: Making small play tools or sculptures with natural materials such as stones, branches, and leaves increases children's self-confidence and creativity.

Writing a book: Encourage your child to write their own book.

Location-free games: Take city tours with your child, but play different games with them at every stop.

Story completion games: Play story completion games with your child. In this game, one person starts, and the others continue in turn. This game will be beneficial for your child's emotional development.