5 Ways To Encourage a Self-Directed Summer

Project Parenthood

School’s out for the summer - now what?

Many parents will have signed their kids up for numerous camps and enrichment experiences by now, making sure that they won’t have to hear the dreaded “I’m bored!” refrain repeated endlessly. That makes sense since kids are often passive receivers - of entertainment that both their technology and many toys that are made for children provide. They are also often passive recipients of education. Most are required to go to a formal school setting whether or not they want to, where they tend to be externally motivated by systems of rewards and punishments to do what adults tell them to do and learn what they’re told to learn and when.

This means that many kids these days don’t have or take as many opportunities to create their own fun or decide what to do with their time as they once did. Furthermore, high-pressure academic environments can leave kids feeling anxious and depressed about where they fall in grade rankings - or that their scores are worth more than they are. Rather than developing a love of learning, these kids can end up developing the false idea that how they “perform” their learning means more than the learning itself.

Sources:

What Is Self-Directed Education? The Alliance for Self-Directed Education.

https://www.self-directed.org/sde/.

Boles, B. (2018, October 17). Give Kids Control. The Alliance for Self-Directed Education.

https://www.self-directed.org/tp/give-kids-control/.

Boles, B. (2018, May 24). Teens and Screens. The Alliance for Self-Directed Education.

https://www.self-directed.org/tp/teens-and-screens/.

Loosli, S. E. (2022, May 15). Do-It-Yourself Summer Camp. Power of Families.

https://poweroffamilies.com/do-it-yourself-summer-camp/.

Low, C (2021, January 10) How To Help Your Child Be An Independent, Self-Directed Learner. Mamahood. https://story.mamahood.com.sg/help-your-child-be-independent-self-directed-learner/.

McDonald, K. (2019, April 23). The Value of A Self-Directed Summer for Kids. FEE Stories. https://fee.org/articles/the-value-of-a-self-directed-summer-for-kids/.

Tam, V. C., Chu, P., & Tsang, V. (2023). Engaging in self-directed leisure activities during a homework-free holiday: Impacts on primary school children in Hong Kong. Journal of Global Education and Research, 7(1), 64-80.

https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1193&context=jger