Summer Projects – A Learning Experience or Waste of Time?

The start of summer vacations, tempt students with the long-awaited days of sleeping in, chilling on the couch and seeing old friends. School life, today however, has opened up a wide range of avenues and umpteen challenges for the modern-day learners. Gone are the days when imparting of lessons was conventional and compressed into the rigorous modules.
It has been observed and researched that young minds today, are burdened with tremendous expectations and academic pressure. In such an environment, summer vacations are a necessity to break the monotony for the overall development of a child’s body, mind and personality.

The debate around holiday homework has raged for years and it’s a topic which divides teachers, parents and pupils alike. While some parents want children to be academically aligned during the holidays, to keep them bonded with their academic rigor. There is an equal number of parents who look at the holidays as a time to have fun while learning and want their kids to be able to enjoy the break without the academic stress.
Are the summer projects beneficial? The answer is 100%. Although, the thought of holiday homework brings down the vacation spirit. A child’s mind is a blank canvas, making them open to new learning challenges such as learning a new language, attending computer courses, preparing independent research, keeping a journal, etc.

Understanding the benefits and the drawbacks of the summer break projects, one must keep in mind that – a complete break from the learning can have an adverse effect on a child’s development.
It is also significant to understand that relaxing during the summer break allows students to recharge for the rest of the year. A summer break helps relieve some of the pressure experienced during the academic year. Students are freer to explore personal projects at their own pace during the summer.

Projects or Hobbies, such as an art project that was meant to be completed long ago, or a book that is yet to be finished, can be just as enriching. Free play time helps build creativity that is often sidetracked during the school year in order to pursue other things.

Personal interests such as dancing, sculpting or sport that ventures out of one’s own free will and on one’s own time can be an enriching experience than just sticking to the structured regime of classes.

Coming to a conclusion, students should be free to choose their projects, develop and present them to others which keeps the discipline and the interest alive. More schools accomplishing such agendas will prosper, helping a kid’s overall being and development.