Education – Keep Teen Minds Sharp During Winter Break
Yesterday I shared some ideas to keep children’s minds sharp and academically-oriented while they are away from school for two weeks during Christmas Break. The ideas come from McNeil Pediatrics, manufacturers of Centris, a drug for children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.
Today I’d like to share their list for suggested teen/preteen activities.
SMART ACTIVITIES FOR TEENS TO HELP MAKE THE HOLIDAYS HAPPIER
Cool Ideas to Keep Your Teen Focused and Entertained Over the Holidays
RESEARCH
Suggest that your teen use the internet to learn about winter
celebrations of cultures other than your own. Not only is this a
good exercise for reading and comprehension, but it’s great for
building research skills too.
READING
Request a list of upcoming novels from your teen’s English
teacher. That way your teen can get a jumpstart on future reading
assignments and wind up ahead of the game after the holiday
break. Consider how you can reward your teen for completing
a book.
WRITING
Write a short play or skit, then direct family and friends as they
learn scenes and act it out. Being a playwright/director will help
your teen with writing and working with others.
ARTS
Let your teen be a filmmaker or the designated holiday
photographer. He or she can record or take pictures of family
and friends, then create a holiday scrapbook, slide show or short
movie on the computer for all to enjoy. This project will help your
teen learn how to organize and follow through on a task from
start to finish.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Have your teen plan a family holiday event. He or she can even
develop a menu, do the cooking and ask family members or
friends to help them pull it all off. Not only is event planning fun,
it’s also good practice for learning to organize school projects,
work toward a deadline and cooperate with others.
COMMUNITY
Get your teen involved in a community outreach program like a
food or clothing drive. It helps develop discipline, responsibility and
social awareness. And it’s something your teen can feel good about
doing on his or her own or with friends over the holiday break.© McNeil Pediatrics, Division of McNeil-PPC, Inc. 2007 November 2007 60CON07
I posted these lists to give you time during the next couple of weeks to prepare, gather the needed supplies, and come up with creative ideas on your own.
These ideas are wonderful alternatives to having bored, cranky and restless teens hanging around the house, who then grumble when they have to go back to school. And even if you can’t stop the grumbling, you can be confident that you helped your youngster get back into the swing of academics quickly, rather than losing valuable learning time.
Here’s to helping our students in every way we can.
Brennan
