Do you encourage your children...

Here in the U.S. many schools have a long break over summer, for as much as 2.5 months. For children who have the long summer break I think it's important to maintain some sort of studying or activities that will keep the skills learned in school fresh in the children's minds. Is the school schedule the same where you are?

I think breaking the holidays up like they do where your siblings attend school is much better than the long summer break most schools have here. I think it not only helps the kids maintain their skills but also serves to give them a break when they need it the most while providing stability throughout the year. Are you in college now? If so, what is your major and what career are you planning for when you graduate?

we have 2 main holidays, one in december and another in june. a month each but where i am in now i have different holidays. since i am in first year... i have no idea when i will be having holidays lol...

Do your parents encourage you to use educational software or websites on the computer to keep your skills sharp? There are many, many such sites on the internet now that allow people to use them for free. There are also a lot of different CD's that are educational and rather affordable. I'm not sure if you're planning/able to go to college, but in any case I believe it's never too late to learn something new, whether it's sports, playing an instrument, etc.. While you may not have the opportunity now, or even for several years, never think it's to late to do something you want to do! Thanks for your response!

I cannot say that our standard of education here is very high. While the schools here do strive for high achievements by the students, I just don't feel they make the mark. I sometimes believe the approach is where the problem lies, not to mention the lax discipline and standards in some schools. If I felt that my children were learning all they could during the school year I may not feel so compelled to keep them at the books part time during the summer. Thanks for your response!

My son, who just finished kindergarten, brought home his workbooks from school, too, and we've been using them a couple of times a week to keep the skills fresh and to keep him occupied when the weather has been bad. We also have bookshelves full of books for the kids to read, so there's no shortage of reading material for the summer, too. Thanks for your response!

I agree that reading and skill-building activities throughout the summer are great in keeping developing skills sharp. I also believe that that it helps to prevent the loss of skills that perhaps the child just learned or had a difficult time with. In my opinion the year round school schedule is best for helping children to maintain skills, however if we have a traditional schedule it's up to us, as parents, to help our children maintain the skills they work so hard to develop.

That schedule sounds quite similar to the less popular year-round schooling schedule used by some schools here in the U.S.. It sounds like it's designed to not only give the kids a break from school but also help them maintain their skills and stay on track with their studies. If you don't mind me asking, where do you live? Thanks for your response!