4 ways to spend the December holidays with your kids!
Along with having a well-deserved break, here are some enriching activities you can participate in with your children this December to keep their young minds occupied and entertained!
1. Pick up a new sport
While Physical Education lessons keep our little ones active during the school semester, it is easy to become sedentary over the holidays by watching TV, taking naps, playing video games and browsing the internet. According to the World Health Organization, children and teenagers should be engaging in at least 60 minutes of exercise a day for good health. While some might already have a fixed, preferred activity like jogging or going to the gym, exploring new forms of movement and trying out different kinds of sports can help you and your children find a hobby that keeps you healthy. Sports can teach children the value of teamwork and cooperation. It also helps them become resilient and confident young people who are not afraid to learn new things from scratch and accept failure as part of the learning process.
2. Try your hand at arts & crafts
What comes to mind when you think of art? Stick figures? The Mona Lisa? It might be hard to define what counts as arts and crafts but that may be what makes it the perfect activity for kids, teenagers and adults alike. Going down to one of Singapore’s many art supply stores and seeing all the materials and mediums you can work with might help to inspire you. From sketching and canvas painting to rug tufting and sculpting with clay there are a world of options to choose from! Learning to sit and focus on a single activity, sticking with a project and seeing it through from conception to completion are all valuable qualities for children to become familiar with. For bigger projects, learning to dedicate a sliver of time everyday to work on it can help develop discipline and show young ones how using small pockets of time well everyday can help them reach their goals.
3. Visit our farms and wildlife parks
Singapore is known as a biophilic city, with lush greenery built into our urban landscape and our parks and gardens taking up almost 47% of our land. Nevertheless, the holidays are a good time to form a stronger bond with nature by taking a trip to our local farms and wildlife parks. Spending time at our wildlife parks, like the Singapore Zoo and the Night Safari, can help children develop a love for animals and a deeper appreciation for the natural world. They will get the opportunity to learn about the habitats, feeding behaviours, life cycles of animals and insects while observing them in their natural environments. By cultivating a fondness for the creatures we share our planet with, children will grow to care for our environment and hopefully, play an active role in sustainability and conservation efforts. At our local farms, they will gain insight into food production processes and the way it finally arrives at our kitchen tables!
4. Try out new recipes
Many parents try to keep younger children out of the kitchen, and with good reason - the kitchen can sometimes be a dangerous place. But with a watchful eye and some rules in place, trying recipes with your kids can be a fun way for them to learn simple food science and express themselves. Cooking and baking are hands-on ways to instil a sense of urgency and teach patience at the same time. Children will also learn to follow instructions, stay organised and clean up after themselves. Learning about ingredients helps develop an awareness of what goes into the food they consume on a daily basis. Decorating baked goods or a home-made pizza can also double as a creative activity!
