Eight weeks of holiday, what can children do?

Last week, a friend made an urgent SOS call, desperate for advice! His daughter completed primary leaving exams (PLE) a month ago.

There are two months of holiday left; what can she do? How can the family manage her and her time?

It is interesting how times have changed. Growing up, as a teenager, we always looked forward to holidays from boarding school, seeing that we did not like school that much!

When home, after a few chores, we would roam Kabowa village for most of the day only stopping by for a late lunch at home. We were usually fully-exhausted in the evenings and ready for bed. I recall that my parents’ only complaint was about being so many and they kept telling us to eat at the others’ homes more frequently as well.

So, lunch was usually basic because of the numbers, but adequate. I dare say that it is a lot more complex today. The only clusters of youths we see are boda boda riders at a ‘stage’ unless you live close to a university or post-secondary college. Even for us who live in a semi-rural setting, it would be unusual to come across a group of ten or more youths strolling aimlessly about just as the teenagers of old.

Indeed, teens are now encouraged to stay at home all the time. In the gated, urban houses, some kids may not know their neighbours at all. Consequently, activities are limited to watching movies or television after house chores, if any! It is, therefore, unsurprising that some parents are concerned about what children should do when home for the long holidays.

At the school where I work, we send out students to formal workplaces over two weeks in the holidays under a work experience programme. This is compulsory for students in the classes equivalent to Senior Three and Six as part of their careers education.

In addition, the Year 12s (or S5) literally run the school from mid-October to end of year. Their examinations come early; so, we have attached a management aspect to their curriculum. And their work is supervised; some children excel and others are urged to improve.

A lot of people have no idea about what to do with a vibrant teenager. We actually train our learners on this and it helps them take the initiative in such situations.

Contrary to what many think, because of the way teenagers present themselves in class or at home, the majority of children are positive and eager about working. They may seem slow and unresponsive in a science or history class or when assigned housework, but this does not mean they are lazy. There are not that many adults who are keen on science or housework either.

So, what should your teenagers do this December and January? To begin with, reading at least three fiction texts is a must. There are immense benefits – the obvious include exposure to creative use of language and immersion into the make-belief world of a book.

However, reading a novel or any book from beginning to the end requires discipline, a life-skill that all children must learn.

Secondly, in addition to the usual house chores, persuade your teenagers to learn how to cook something special. They may do some research on recipes or come up with their own concoctions. Everyone could name their special after themselves and invite houseguests to check them out.

This is a better way to get them into cooking! Personally, I remember how long it took me to learn how to peel matooke before even getting it to hold together in the magical banana leaves that deliver our delicious steamed meal. At the time, I did not like matooke anyway.

Had I started with pasta, I would have been hooked straight away; anyone would!

Then there is the aspect of work and savings. We need to teach children that work for income is crucial and that they must save some of their earnings. Of course it is difficult to find ‘work for income’ around the house, but it is doable. For example, a child could earn money for extending chores by doing more than required.

Keeping children busy has also been commercialised in Uganda as well. It depends on what you can afford. There are plenty of clubs offering football coaching, learning to play musical instruments and a lot more.

osm@kigothinkers.org

The author is one of the founding Kigo Thinkers.