How to Focus During the Holidays

How to Focus During the Holidays

October 10, 2020

This has been one of the most challenging years for parents in many decades. Adults have had to navigate working remotely while simultaneously managing learning from home. Students have left campuses in spring not realizing some would not return until October. There has been worry, doubt, and fear, but also tremendous support from teachers who have worked tirelessly to make sure children have had every opportunity to succeed. 

At Emmanuel Lutheran School, our small class sizes allow us to maintain safe distancing, while our staff ensures the cleanest environment possible. We were blessed to be able to return to school this fall with some semblance of normalcy. Nevertheless, students will welcome the approaching holiday breaks. In such a strange year, it will be vital for parents to help prevent students from losing their momentum for learning during breaks.

Balance relaxation with continued study will give them a better chance of being able to return from Thanksgiving and Christmas breaks ready to learn and thrive. Here are 7 tips for helping children stay focused during holiday breaks:

7 Tips for Helping Students Stay Focused During the Holidays

1) Help Them Rest

Rest is an important part of the holiday breaks. Simply being away from school is not the same as actually taking a break. Your children need to sleep well, eat nutritiously, and spend at least a measure of time away from schoolwork. Help your children truly rest.

2) Limit Television and Video Games

Without the structure of the school day, it could be easy for your children to fall into a pattern watching television, playing video games, and using their phones. They might be tempted to stay up late and adopt poor sleeping habits. It is okay to limit their screen time during the holiday break. 

3) Send Them Outside/Go Hiking

It might be chilly, but it is not so cold your children must stay indoors the entire break. Make sure they spend time outside. In fact, as the leaves fall off the trees, it can actually make for better views when you hike the thousands of miles of trails in our area. 

4) Make Sure They Spend Time with People

There are some family and friends you may only see once or twice a year or even less. Make sure your children spend time with the people special to them. 

5) Remember to Celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas

Holidays can be stressful with travel and searching for gifts. Make sure your children have the opportunity to enjoy these special times. Help them recognize the purpose of Thanksgiving and have the opportunity to express gratitude to God for their gifts. Even if you participate in shopping, sales, and finding the right presents for the people about whom you care deeply, make sure it does not consume too much of your time and energy. 

Remember to celebrate Jesus’ incarnation during the Advent season. Christmas is a time our culture is uniquely focused on Christianity and the gospel. Make sure your children know the good news has little to do with what is under the tree and everything to do with the one who came down to save us. 

6) Keep Up With Assignments

Your children may have assignments during the holidays that can be easily forgotten. Do not allow Thanksgiving and Christmas to be times where children procrastinate on assignments or forget them altogether. 

7) Encourage Pleasure Reading 

Rather than replace school time with television, video games, and screen time, encourage children to spend time reading fiction or spiritually encouraging books. You might take the opportunity to read with them. 

At Emmanuel Lutheran School, we believe it is vital to celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas, remembering the gifts God has given us. We want parents and children to be able to celebrate the things for which they are thankful; health, education, family, and most importantly, the gift of salvation through the person and work of Jesus. Difficult seasons can make these holidays even sweeter. If you have questions about how ELS is helping students learn the meaning of these holidays, contact us. We would be happy to tell you more about our school and how we emphasize quality education while maintaining a Christ-centered environment. 

More in this category: « 7 Advantages to Private Education What Advent Means for Christian Students »
back to top