The debate #StopDeberes: children should do homework in summer?
With the arrival of the holidays, the debate on if children should do homework in summer. More and more fathers and mothers advocate a vacation in which children can rest, disconnect from school and perform a different type of activity that allows them to learn, but in a new way. Will duties violate the right of children to play, have fun and enjoy their vacations?
Many people think that a child should have free time and even give importance to their boredom, because it can be an ideal opportunity for them to develop their creative and inventive capacity.
There are also those who think that the problem does not lie in whether teachers should send home homework or not, rather in quantity. The time that a child invests in them, outside of school, is considered as overtime, which reduces freedom and may even be a problem in the reconciliation between parents and children.
"The problem is not the homework itself, in summer a child may have homework, but they must be different from the ones they have already done during the school year." You have to try to maintain the routine, but this does not have to be a through a social book and three hours studying, "says Nuria García, child and youth psychologist.
Will duties violate the rights of children?
According to Article 31 of the UNICEF Children's Rights Convention, "States Parties recognize the right of the child to rest and leisure, to play and recreational activities appropriate to their age and to participate freely in cultural life and in the Arts".
In summer this right becomes even more necessary, there being a great variety of nuances when it comes to what a child should or should not do during their school break.
"Education in many schools and institutes follows the same line as 60 years ago, where the long hours in front of a book are much more reward than creativity or the ability to work as a team. parents bet on empowering these abilities in their little ones ", explains Nuria García.
Summer is to enjoy. Even if a child has three months of vacation and his parents work during this time, it is necessary that the children do not do the same thing that they have been doing during the winter.
According to Nuria, "it's not about the child becoming a nini During the holidays, you do not have to be sitting studying every day to avoid breaking your school routine. You have to bet on different duties, those that have been pending during the year. "
Traditional values must be maintained, and that is where holiday duties become relevant. They are not homework, they are the duties of socializing, of reading a book or even going to a library. They are duties to play with friends, to learn what interests them and to practice sports. They are even duties of getting bored.
"Boredom during the holidays is necessary because it encourages creativity but it will not come from nothing, a child will not learn to empower it alone, it is the parents who have to try to stimulate it through different activities and even games educational ", says our expert.
4 alternative points for the debate #StopDeberes
So, how should it be a school holiday for the little ones? Taking into account that the #StopDeberes debate is on the table, the solution lies in offering alternatives that are positive and beneficial for children. The idea with more acceptance is the one that defends that the duties of summer do not have to be theoretical duties, but that they must be different duties, some duties with 4 fundamental points that help the smallest ones in their emotional and behavioral growth.
1. What has been pending during the winter.The school year passes, sometimes, too quickly. The little ones learn new knowledge but there are occasions when it becomes evident that they have not been able to carry out or have cost more work than usual.
The amount of homework, in addition to extracurricular activities, have not allowed the child to solve it, nor the parents to help him. Therefore, in summer there is a fantastic opportunity to remedy it.
For example, if during the course they have shown difficulty at the time of studying, it may be that what has failed is not the hours of study, but the method of doing so. This is when parents should be aware and get it fixed by teaching their child an effective method of study.
There can be many cases, and here the duties will be to help the child to solve what he has not been able to do during the year, without this means being locked up studying theory. Summer is an ideal opportunity to add, improve and disconnect from school theory.
2. No to immediate rewards. The so-called immediate reward is becoming more frequent.The child has a tantrum and the first thing parents do is reward him at the moment so that he passes. One of the causes of this type of impulsive acts, is the notion of time.
Parents, moved by their work routine, are overwhelmed with their children's free time and make decisions based on keeping them busy all day. Summer camp, booklet of homework, private lessons or even deadlines of video game console, television or tablet.
You have to try to invest time in them, let them realize when something is not right, appreciate that a prize has to be earned or even that on their days off boredom can be an ideal excuse to learn to create, understand or develop a different kind of intelligence. Imagination is a vital resource and you have to try to stimulate it, if you do not give it time to think, your thought will be linear, gridded and not subject to experiment.
3. Summer routine. Who said that the summer routine should be a continuation of the winter routine? No, in summer you should bet on a slow life in both parents and children. If in the summer you do the same as in winter, it will be impossible to recharge your batteries and can even be harmful when facing a new course.
The summer routine, therefore, must be different. Camps or workshops that discover other types of activities, including activities that may help them or that may help them discover new skills or develop their own creativity.
4. Motivation and family time. Summer must be time to spend as a family. During the course, the tasks of each member can make it difficult to enjoy it, especially during the week. Summer is the perfect time to invest in family health.
Spend time together, travel or walk. Any reason that means enjoying a time together will benefit the family climate, motivating each member of the family but especially the little ones.
It is the parents who should favor this situation, free time on vacation should be a quality time, where motivation, enthusiasm, creativity and even emotional intelligence are enhanced.
Society is constantly evolving, so education must evolve in the same way. We must look to the present and bet on what is best for our children, everything that is possible to invest in their education will benefit us in the long term, since they are our future.
Education is not based on spending hours studying in front of a book, there are plenty of options to invest in the development of the smallest and always have to bet on those that, although they go out of the "normal", bring as a result the happiness and the benefit of the little ones.
Nuria García Child and Adolescent Psychologist and Director of Ayudarte Psychology Study
