Holiday notebooks in 2024: for or against?

That’s it: it’s the summer holidays! You can relax, bask in your 2 months of holiday. It is also the summer period when your child’s brain and concentration are most available: the mental load is gone.

Holiday homework and exercises are designed to consolidate the learning of a child’s school year in preparation for the next school year.

The idea is to pass on the taste for learning while having fun with all kinds of intellectual activities. However, many parents are no longer convinced of the usefulness and benefits of this practice.

Here are a few points on the subject to help you see where you stand in relation to all this.

The advantages of a holiday notebook

If summer is synonymous with holidays and rest (both physical and mental), it is usually a time to relax and enjoy the good weather. Some of the family’s daily routines logically change during these long-awaited holiday periods for children and parents.

Entertaining activities are favoured and the use of holiday books and notebooks can be part of this. Between these moments of play and family sharing, it is also important to find time to continue learning, especially for children.

Learn and revise in a fun way during the holidays!

Recommended by teachers and professors

Many teachers, schoolmasters and professors advise parents to use this time to teach their children in a different and fun way: it is also possible to learn while having fun.

Encouraging your children to learn through play

The main publishers of books and homework books (Nathan, Passeport, Hachette Éducation, Sami et Julie) have understood that it is easier and more enjoyable to teach your children through games.

Teach them about the history of the place or more about nature while travelling, teach them more about cultures through tourism, games, etc.

Holiday books or homework books also have the advantages of :

  • Refreshing the child’s memory;
  • Another way to have fun;
  • Gives children the confidence to face new things to learn;
  • Preparing for the next school year.

The new school year will be easier for a child when his parents have given him the opportunity to review everything he studied during the holidays.

How to use a holiday notebook

Petite fille en train de faire son cahier de vacances
Little girl making her holiday notebook

Holiday books allow parents and their children to spend time together.

Holiday notebook for children from 1st grade onwards

Exercises for children over 7 years old

At this age and from the first grade onwards, children aged 7 and over are more creative. The exercises in the holiday books that they can do are therefore more extensive.

You can teach your child to write a travel diary. Encourage them to plan their programmes during the holidays.

If you are planning a trip, ask your child to make lists of activities and exercises he or she wants to do during the holiday. And at the end of each day, ask them to draw and write down everything they have seen or experienced.

Holiday notebook for kindergarten to nursery school

Exercises for children under 6 years old

In the kindergarten section, you can make an art book for your child under 6 years old. You can do drawing or writing exercises.

This will help your child to improve his/her creative and cognitive skills. Using a holiday notebook for a child aged 3 to 6 is also a good way to keep the learning process going and to stimulate the child.

Exercises for children under 5 years old

For children who have completed the first year of nursery school, here are some activities and exercises you can do with them:

  • Colouring ;
  • Ironing lines;
  • Connecting numbers and objects.

Revision books and workbooks used during other holiday periods compile a series of exercises and activities that summarise what has been learned in class.

Choosing the best holiday and homework book

When choosing a holiday workbook for your child, note that it should not only be attractive, but also age-appropriate. Here are our tips for choosing a holiday notebook:

A homework book with curricular content

This is the ideal way to avoid frustration for your children. Your children need to follow the curriculum if you want them to find the exercises in the holiday workbooks useful.

A holiday book that offers a playful approach

Before choosing a holiday book for a child in the kindergarten class, it should offer a playful approach. Your purchase should be compatible with the context in which your child will be doing the exercises. Note that for children, the holidays are a time for fun. The activities and exercises they do should therefore be fun.

There are many advantages of a holiday book. If you want your child to enjoy it, give him or her an age-appropriate holiday notebook.

4.9/5 - (8 votes)