Make it a fun yet educative experience

Nov 25, 2008

THE longest school holidays of the year are here. Senior Four (S.4) leavers are back home and will stay for four months. Senior Six (S.6) students, once they return, will return to school in September next year.

By Titus Serunjogi

THE longest school holidays of the year are here. Senior Four (S.4) leavers are back home and will stay for four months. Senior Six (S.6) students, once they return, will return to school in September next year.

Teenagers long for these holidays and cannot wait to finish their last exam before getting on the loose. But some S.4 and S.6 leavers are already detesting this holiday. Soon parents will begin to hear the whiny words: “Oh, I am so bored!” from their holidaymakers.”

Imagine a holiday maker who cannot help but watch match after match of soccer on television. He wakes up at 2:00pm, reorganises his suitcase for the 10th time, removes clutter, takes out dirty clothes, throws away old notebooks, rereads his letters and success cards… What next? Again, he sits to watch TV for more hours, or plays video games and afterwards is at a loss about what to do.

“Boredom is common among S.4 and S.6 leavers. Having been used to the highly-motivated environment of the candidate classes, they come home for the long holidays only to find they have so much time with no tasks to do. They soon become disinterested in the activities at hand and since they are not being productive, they also lose the sense of purpose in life. Boredom leads teenagers into destructive habits like drinking, smoking, taking drugs and irresponsible sex,” says Joseph Musalo, a youth counsellor working with Compassion International.

Since some of the activities that bored teens fall into require money, they might turn to stealing and selling household items. Musalo adds that boredom is not just a problem of unfulfilled potential. Many social problems today can be traced back to teenagers who do not know what to do with their time.

To Fagil Mandy, an education consultant and writer of Self Engineering (a book about growing up well), the problem of boredom among teenagers also stems from the fact that they have been brought up to wait for someone to order them to do work. Many teenagers cannot do anything constructive without an adult telling them to do so.

“Parents should take advantage of this holiday to teach their children to be self-motivated. Give them tasks that will teach them how to make decisions and to take control of their day-to-day life,” he says.

According to Mandy, the first way of dealing with teenage boredom is by getting the children out of the comfort zone of the home and exposing them to new experiences. Enrol them in youth camps and holidaymakers’ programmes. The Young Men Christian Association, the scouts’ association, Kampala Pentecostal Church, Kampala Music School, among many other institutions, are all having positive programmes for holidaymakers. These range from computer training, subsidised music classes, to camps and fellowships. Such can be great fun and a good way of socialising with peers. They also foster a child’s discipline.

Fagil Mandy also lectures high school leavers on life skills. Parents can get in touch with him at this Fame Con Educational Consultancy office in Kyebando, a Kampala suburb.

The traditional way of engaging teens during the long holidays was by sending them upcountry. This, according to Musalo, is healthy in that it exposes a child to rural lifestyle. It also challenges young adults to take gender responsibilities seriously. Girls learn about good housekeeping while boys learn social skills and responsibility. Such lessons are invaluable.

However, even if the children stay in urban areas, a parent can give them over to relatives, friends or professionals for apprenticeship. It would be a vacation well-spent if a child learnt how to repair Mercedes Benz vehicles (apprenticeship from the Spear Motors in Nakawa), tailoring, baking or salesmanship. Otherwise, parents who have the influence can get their vacation teenagers into entry level employment. Talk of jobs like fuel pump attendant, waitress or supermarket salesperson. Another way of fostering responsibility is by putting the child in charge of the finances of the home or a poultry project in the home.

However, Musalo advises that before deciding on how to keep your child from getting bored during the holidays, get to know their interests. The knowledge will help you to build a programme based on their likes.

It would also be appropriate for parents to create family days when they can take time to chat with and listen to their children, do things together with them and get to know them better. Set aside one day a week — perhaps a Saturday or Sunday — so you can all have lunch or visit relatives together.

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