Menlo Park Campus
815 El Camino Real
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Whether you are traveling over winter break or staying at home this year, you are probably familiar with the lull in educational activities for kids that can happen during this time of year. While your child might be taking a break from school, keeping them learning and engaged in the value of what they have already accomplished can be a challenge.
Planned and spontaneous activities for winter break can help when your child is home from school and looking for something to occupy their time. Rather than spending these hours on social media or playing video games, consider these family-friendly winter activities with a focus on your child’s love of learning.
The change from a structured routine to complete lack of direction can cause middle and high school students to feel bored. Especially if you are working yourself, putting up a calendar that highlights daily chores and fun winter activities as homework assignments gives your child balance and direction. Some of these fun assignments might include:
Plan a trip to the library or a bookstore at the start of winter break, and encourage your child to choose both a fiction and a nonfiction book to read. Let them explore their own interests or ask your child to read an age-appropriate classic you enjoy yourself, then read aloud or discuss the story daily. Local libraries and bookstores may have planned holiday activities for children or opportunities to meet their favorite authors.
The nonfiction book choice might be focused on a winter activity you have planned, like bird, plant or rock identification field guides, or a book about dinosaurs when you plan to visit a museum. It might provide a deeper look into art history or music. These choices can help your child understand how research and deeper involvement in a topic will increase their enjoyment of hands-on learning opportunities and translate their interests into possible future careers.
Winter break can be a perfect time to visit historical buildings while they are decorated, local science museums with traveling exhibits, or those places nearby that are local landmarks or cultural destinations. Many of these points of interest will have a fun activity planned for children. Going to the zoo, planetarium, or touring an art gallery will make memories and give your child some exciting subjects to talk about with their friends and family.
One of the best indoor activities for winter break is cooking and baking with your child. Baking is chemistry, and all cooking needs accurate measurement and controlled temperatures. Math is involved every time you need to double or reduce a recipe.
You can engage your child in all steps of the cooking process and discuss how ingredients work together to change the texture and taste of foods. When you’ve finished with the learning experience, you get to enjoy eating the delicious results or share them with family and friends.
Have craft and art supplies on hand, and ask your child to create something each day. You might rent a musical instrument or schedule a guitar or piano lesson. Your child can explore different styles of art, visit galleries, or attend a concert. They might even put on a winter play for an audience of family and friends. Fostering creativity leads to hours of enjoyment and a more beautiful winter celebration.
Winter outdoor activity is good for both the mind and body. On a sunny winter day you might take a nature walk and identify plants or birds with your child. You can even start a windowsill herb garden and encourage your children to learn about seeds, germination, and the uses of common food plants.
Winter is also a perfect time to plan a spring and summer garden, and have your child get involved in ordering seeds to grow in upcoming seasons. Discuss how the seasons change and how local food sources change with regional factors like latitude, soil quality, and distance from the ocean.
Time off from school is a time to enhance the love of learning and fully experience how knowledge improves our quality of life. Parents and schools that focus on year-round educational experiences help children become motivated and independent learners.
Helping our young people develop active and creative minds is an essential part of our mission at Lydian Academy. By customizing the educational experience through one-on-one approaches and providing flexible schedules with rolling admissions, Lydian helps parents inspire their children with all they can accomplish. Authentic academic success and nurturing the love of learning all year long provides every child with the opportunity to succeed in building a fulfilling life.
