One question I get asked frequently is, “Should my child be studying in the school holidays?”
If the school work they have learned in previous terms is going to be tested, then it’s an obvious yes. This is especially the case for year 11 and year 12 students. However, the study plan for school holidays needs to be realistic and achievable and can even be made fun with the help of activities and fun but educational websites.
Here is my suggestion for both primary and high school students. For primary students, I recommend they spend 30 minutes to an hour in the morning after breakfast, revising or doing online Maths or English activities. Then they can switch off and enjoy the rest of the day. Doing that once a day won’t feel like a chore but will maintain what they have learned in the first two terms. If your child wants to do more, great, but start with what seems realistic and something they can stick to.
For senior students, particularly HSC students, I recommend studying 1-2 subjects per day. Again I suggest mornings after breakfast so that they can switch off at around lunchtime and enjoy the rest of the day without having to think about school work. Use the AB, ABC method to make your study time more effective. Master a chunk at a time and go back to the beginning and speed read what you have already studied.
If they at least do this, they will be doing more than 90% of students and will come back to term 3 with momentum and will not have forgotten what they learned in the previous terms.
Better to do what they can consistently than to do many hours on one day and not do anything for the rest of the school holidays. Remind your children that their free time will feel even better when they know they have taken care of what needs to be done before focusing on what they want to do.
A nice balance of work with plenty of time for much-needed relaxation and fun.