During holidays and trips, families have different experiences that take them out of their daily routine. The experiences that children live during these days are the best stimulus to learn new things, implement strategies and boost children’s intellectual development.
Yes, definitely these days that parents and children spend together are an excellent opportunity to:
- Learn more about how children think and act; Take advantage of informal conversations to engage and motivate your children to speak up and express their points of view.
- Let children know how you think and act on issues and situations different from everyday life; Discuss what you would do as a parent to resolve different situations, while asking how they would do it.
- Teach children moral values and spirituality; Talk to them and act accordingly with the values you have taught them; this will give the child the security to build their own hierarchy of values.
- Learn more about the outside world, its advantages, disadvantages, and how to act safely; Give your kids responsibilities according to their age.
- Learn the importance of mutual care and protection; Assign each child the care of another member of the family. This is an excellent experience of decentralization of oneself and concern for others.
- And, above all, these days offer an excellent opportunity to guide children to make responsible decisions, since they have more time to monitor the child’s learning, as well as guide them in accepting the consequences that some decisions might bring.
Definitely, after each time shared, families will not be the same, they will have grown in family integration as well as each one as person, especially the children. Take the opportunity the holidays and vacations give you to grow the relationship with your kids and strengthen your family as a whole.
-Rosa Montiel-Gomez, MeD is a Psychologist with more than 30 years experience in the field of school psychology, Educational psychology and career orientation as well as family counseling. Rosa lives in Miami, Fl, with her husband Carlos, 3 kids and 2-year old grandchild
