active parenting – That Madras Mom

School exams can be a whirlwind of stress and study for kids, and when holidays roll around, it’s a golden opportunity for relaxation, fun, and creativity. Mothers can use this time to not only unwind but also foster exploration, learning, and bonding.

Here are some delightful and engaging ways to make the most of the post-exam holidays:

1. Start a Mini Project

Get creative with projects that kids can truly immerse themselves in. From DIY crafts to building models, they can:

Design and create a family photo scrapbook.
Build a birdhouse or garden trellis.
Make homemade soap or candles to gift family members.

2. Host a Theme Week

Each day of the week revolves around a different theme:

Science Monday: Experiment with simple physics or chemistry projects (like making slime or mini volcanoes).
Foodie Tuesday: Cook a new dish or bake together.
Adventure Friday: Plan treasure hunts or backyard camping experiences.These themes add excitement to routine activities and give kids something to look forward to!
These themes add excitement to routine activities and give kids something to look forward to!

3. Explore Local Gems

Dive into the unexplored corners of your city or neighbourhood. Take them to:

Local museums or art galleries.
Nature trails or botanical gardens.
Heritage sites or quirky cafes.

These outings are enriching and often leave children with fascinating tales to share! Let them plan the day and meals to pack.

4. Unleash the Artist in Them

Provide materials like paints, coloured paper, and clay, and let them express their imagination. Ideas include:

Painting murals on walls or old pieces of furniture.
Writing short stories or poems based on their holiday experiences.
Creating jewellery or trinkets to wear or gift. A lot of kits are now available online that have materials and designs for kids to start learning.

5. Organize a Skill Swap with Friends

Invite other mothers and their kids for a fun day where everyone shares a skill. For example:

One child teaches origami.
Another demonstrates basic dance steps.
Mothers can also join in, sharing their cooking, knitting, or crafting skills.

It’s collaborative, educational, and perfect for boosting their social skills.

6. Plan a Charity Drive

Engage kids in activities with purpose by organizing:

A donation drive of clothes, toys, or books for local shelters.
Volunteer sessions where kids can visit animal shelters or orphanages.
Crafting items to sell at a garage sale, donating proceeds to charity.

Teaching kids the value of giving back instils empathy and a sense of community.

7. Dive into Digital Learning

While screen time should be monitored, plenty of educational apps and platforms offer fun, interactive learning experiences:

Try to learn coding online or through applications available.
Explore online music lessons or creative writing workshops.
Watch documentaries or virtual tours of famous landmarks worldwide.

8. Bond Through Cooking and Gardening

Get hands-on with activities that create lasting memories:

Cook a new recipe together every week—let kids measure, mix, and garnish. Baking is a great way for them to start cooking.
Start a small garden where they can plant and take care of flowers, herbs, or vegetables.

It’s a wonderful mix of fun and responsibility!

9. Challenge Them with Fun Competitions

Friendly challenges can keep their minds active:

Solve puzzles, riddles, or crosswords.
Organize mini sports tournaments in the community.
Set up LEGO-building contests with prizes for the most creative structure.

10. Reflect and Celebrate

Wrap up the holidays with a reflective activity where kids can:

Journal their favourite moments.
Create a “holiday achievements” display (like a chart of skills learned or places visited).
Plan a small party or get-together to celebrate their new milestones.

Holidays after exams are a chance for kids to relax and recharge, but they also offer endless opportunities for mothers to nurture creativity, curiosity, and connection. Whether through hands-on projects or exploring new experiences, this time can be as rewarding for mothers as it is for their children.

This blog post is part of ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’
hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla.

BLURB:

What do you want your child to be?
There is no one way to raise a child. Each child is unique and can vary in so many ways in abilities and behaviour from others in their group. Ramgopal Vallath, indebted to his own parents for an upbringing that has helped him overcome great challenges and difficulties, set out to meet numerous parents to work out some common guidelines that could help groom a child. This book is the result. As with his previous bestselling book, From Ouch to Oops, this too is bound to reach out and move its readers, and leave lessons of lasting use in what is one of the most important tasks a parent undertakes: raising a child to be a healthy, resilient, positive adult.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ramgopal Vallath, better known as RamG Vallath, is an IITian, a tech company co-founder, a much sought-after motivational speaker and the author of the best-selling autobiography From Ouch to Oops. He has inspired over 50,000 children with his talks and his life story is a chapter in one of the eighth-class textbooks for CBSE students. As a keynote speaker, RamG has addressed over one lakh people across the globe and helped them become more resilient, more positive, happier and more successful.

REVIEW:

Parenting being one of the niches I blog about doesn’t mean I know A-Z of everything that relates to parenting. I’m sure that the author would also agree to this. Because for us parents, each day is a learning and there is a lesson to look back, introspect and gain something from what happens each day.
This learning I would say wouldn’t always be something that I would smile and be proud of because there are days that would kill you with guilt and self-doubt. What I write might work for 9/10 kids but not one. Why? Because each child is different and they need a different way to handle and to be taken care of.

Being a mom of two I can confidently say that I’m not using the same way of parenting to my younger son in comparison to how I raised my daughter. A matter of three years and boom there is a lot of changes in how children react or what they expect. What do I do? Continue to do what I knew? No, I find new ways to see what suits better for me and son.
This is exactly what the Author conveys in the book. Not every child fall into the same group. The book showcase techniques to approach and values to be instilled in children. The best gift that I’d say we can give our children would be values that are to be taught which would help them at any point in their life.
Though I spent very little time with my Grandparents, there are specific nuances that I learnt or should I say life lessons to how to deal or how to decide now. I can even use them at a later point of time in my life. These I’d say are the values that are passed on. They cannot be outdated. People just come up with new ways to instil the values that we know of earlier. I don’t think there is anything wrong because in the end the value is taught.

As I read through, I saw myself at few places

“That is what great parents do-they live on for centuries after their physical selves depart, through the thoughts and values that they have bequeathed to their children. Their influence is boundless across generations”. As I mentioned above, I’m grateful for the very little time that I spent for lifetime of knowledge.

Befriend but with firm boundaries – The less you say no, the more free-spirited your kids will be.

Telling by showing- The values children display are often a reflection of the values that parents demonstrate.

The real-life experiences that the author has shared from his and his circle of friends will definitely make you nod your head, or smile or at least question yourself like’ isn’t that me?’ Only when you know examples from real life it makes it much clearer to understand what is being conveyed or what must be observed and taken as a lesson.

Just mentioning that these are techniques, these are values are only going to be giving you a theory which would land you in a dilemma. But here the author makes it easier for you.
The key points section at the end of each chapter is a bonus. With a 200+ page book, the author will definitely lead you to the right direction when it comes to parenting. The language used is simple and much easier to comprehend.