Learn while on vacation without even trying

Not having to think about school for a while is wonderfully liberating for the entire family. Kids and parents alike can do with a break now and then, no matter the time of year. The great news is, there are plenty of simple and fun educational activities that you can do to keep your child’s mind active.

When my family is on vacation, I’ve noticed that we naturally gravitate toward games and activities that challenge the kids in some way. Without even realizing it, they’re having a blast while developing different skills.

Looking for inspiration? Here’s what we did during our last vacation!

My wife, our two boys, and I spent a lot of time getting the hang of our newest board games. We also decided to dust off some of our old favourites. Board games can involve observation, strategy, reflexes, reasoning, chance—there’s something for everyone!

Depending on the game, we had to count while moving our pieces, match colours and images, connect different elements to make sense of the bigger picture, and so on.

I’d hardly call board games homework, but they’re definitely an enjoyable and educational family activity.

It’s easy to make light of those popular colour-by-number books, but there’s more to them than meets the eye. As I watched my eldest colouring away, I was reminded of why I loved them so much when I was his age. The mandala-style designs you see today are true works of art. The results are incredible!

Colouring books are terrific for developing creativity and fine motor skills. My seven-year-old blew me away.

Go ahead, throw your tomatoes.
That’s right, I’m including video games on this list. And no, my kids didn’t play Call of Duty night after night. But we did happen to find games that were educational as well as entertaining. Whether we purchase interactive books or logic games, the key is to make smart choices and limit our kids’ playtime.

I even let my eldest try my PlayStation console for the very first time (I watched him closely to make sure he was gentle with the controller!). I found him a low-key game with fantastic graphics where he got to practise his reading and reasoning skills while solving puzzles.

At our house, we often prepare food (especially desserts) as a family.
We cooked even more while we were on vacation, since we had more free time. Our kids got to practise skills such as reading recipes, measuring out ingredients, understanding and following instructions, and working as a team.

This is an activity where kids not only learn how to cook, but also become more autonomous, more interested in new ingredients, and more aware of where their food comes from and how it ends up on their plate.

My point is, taking a break from lessons and homework does a world of good for both kids and parents.

After a few days on vacation, my family always feels re-energized and keen to get back into the swing of things. Ultimately, when you’re on vacation, the key is to make learning as fun and stress-free as possible.

Enjoy your break!