Summer vacation traditionally meant “lazy days “—time to rest and regroup. Yet, for Gen Z’ers and even the preceeding Millenials, summer has become “organized play” and “scheduled interest investigation”, packed into camps, summer school, club sports, and summer reading assignments.
But, today’s kids are no different than us as kids—the people who learned from youthful mistakes—only our adult perception of “making every moment seemingly productive” has changed.
So, I’d recommend that we work to suspend our “adult-ness” and let kids have more downtime, rest, sleep in too late…go-wherever-the-day-takes-you time.
Often, in unstructured times, kids learn more about themselves. Without a “focused” activity, kids’ imaginations have room to flex, and as one student said, “My brain has time to breathe.” Through experience, students gain confidence in an inherant ability.
Then, with greater understanding of their interests and talents, students can eventually define a vision for their lives, which will guide them in choosing the best path, potentially including a college education, to realize their goals.
So, in the words of my mother, “Go outside and play!”
