While some parents are enrolling their children in holiday lessons, others are allowing them to relax at home, visit relatives or participate in church, sports, creative and skills-development programmes.
The different approaches have renewed discussions on how best to utilize long school holidays without overwhelming children or leaving them without meaningful activities for extended periods.
A parent, Mrs Constance Adiri, told the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday that she had sent her children to spend the holiday with their grandparents, describing the arrangement as an opportunity for cultural exposure and family bonding.
Adiri said the children’s presence brought joy to their grandparents, strengthened their relationship with cousins and provided opportunities for them to share stories and experiences across generations.
“My children are spending this holiday with their grandparents because it gives them the opportunity to learn our dialect, understand our traditions, bond with their cousins and appreciate our culture and values,” she said.
A teacher, Mrs Blessing Awure, advised parents against turning long holidays into periods dominated by academic activities, stressing that children needed adequate rest after a demanding school session.
Awure said her children were participating in selected activities while also having sufficient time to relax, read for pleasure, visit relatives and engage in supervised recreation and that holidays should provide children with opportunities to rest, bond with family and play.
She urged parents to introduce meaningful activities during school vacations without putting undue pressure on their children.
“Children need a break from the pressure of school, but that does not mean they should be idle during holidays. “Parents can create a healthy balance between learning and play,” she said.
Another parent, Mr Isaac Onyenegecha, told NAN that holiday lessons were important, particularly for children who needed additional academic support or preparation for the next class.
According to him, such children could benefit from revision during the holiday, provided the lessons were properly structured and did not consume the entire vacation.
“Holiday lessons are useful when they address genuine academic needs, but children should still have enough time for recreation, family interaction, skills development and proper relaxation,” he said.
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For some parents, church activities, including children’s camps, provide a combination of recreation, moral instruction, leadership development and social interaction during long holidays.
They also said Boys Brigade activities could be beneficial to children during vacations by instilling discipline, improving physical fitness and developing leadership abilities and team spirit.
Mrs Mary Abiodun, who took her children to a church camp, said the experience strengthened their spiritual lives, developed their confidence and improved their communication and interaction skills.
“My children enjoyed the church camping because they learnt teamwork, participated in prayer sessions, and developed a sense of discipline and responsibility while having fun,” she said.
She, however, stressed that parents should consider safety, adequate supervision, the children’s ages and the credibility of organizers before enrolling them in such activities.
Some parents are also using the long vacation to expose their children to practical skills, including coding, catering, tailoring, bead-making, music, painting and other creative pursuits.
Mr Ochuko Ogbodu said such programmes would help children develop useful skills and discover their interests. “I want my children to learn useful skills during this holiday, but I will not overload them because childhood should include play, creativity, exploration and enough time to simply be children,” he said.
A secondary school student, Miss Oyinyechi Ifeanyi, said holidays should not be filled entirely with academic work because children needed time to recover from the pressure associated with regular school routines.
“I like learning during long holidays, but I also want time to play, visit friends, attend camps, learn skills and spend more time with my parents and siblings,” she said.
Another student, who simply identified himself as Ayomide, said he was spending his holiday helping his mother with her trading business, which was enabling him to learn basic business skills.
Other children said they would welcome opportunities to learn skills such as cooking, coding, drawing, dancing and playing football.
Some education stakeholders said the ongoing holiday presented an opportunity for parents to support children’s all-round development rather than concentrating exclusively on academic performance.
They urged parents to identify their children’s interests while providing appropriate guidance, supervision and opportunities to make long vacations both enjoyable and productive.
