The Principal of Chrisidia Education Centre, Benin City, Edo, Mrs Adesuwa Aghayere, has urged parents to use school holidays to identify their children’s learning needs and address challenges that could affect their academic progress.
Aghayere said holidays should allow children to rest and recreate, but parents should also engage them in simple learning activities to maintain their academic routine.
She noted that some children could begin to lose their learning routine from the second week of the holiday if they completely disengaged from academic activities.
The education expert advised parents to review their children’s academic results, identify subjects in which they performed poorly and determine the reasons for their difficulties instead of comparing them with other children.
She also urged parents to discuss subjects their children disliked with them and determine whether the challenges were related to the subject, teaching method or relationship with a particular teacher.
Aghayere encouraged parents to communicate with their children and, where necessary, contact their teachers or schools to understand their challenges and develop ways to address them before resumption.
She stressed that children learn at different paces and through different methods, adding that some may understand lessons better through visual materials, role-play or practical activities.
The principal recommended at least 30 minutes of daily study for primary school pupils and one hour for secondary school students, stressing that consistency was more important than lengthy study sessions.
She also advised parents to provide appropriate learning materials for children travelling during the holidays and monitor their screen exposure.
Aghayere urged parents to balance recreational screen use with reading, creative activities and other forms of learning, while ensuring that the content children consumed was age-appropriate.
She said the holiday provided an opportunity for parents to understand what worked best for each child and put appropriate support in place before school resumed.
