Vacations are the sweetest part of a person’s life. Every student waits for these joyful moments. These days, when youngsters are stressed out, a vacation has become an essential part of his/her healthy growth. Parents who have been toiling along with their children throughout the year heave a sigh of relief.

This valuable time should not be idled away, but turned into a valuable investment in the growth of the youngster. A judicious spending of the vacation can help in rejuvenation, strengthening family bonds and enhancement of social relations. This time can be utilized for acquiring new skills and improving knowledge.

Here’s how you can make your summer vacation a fruitful one.

1. Indulge in physical exercise. Play your favourite game. Enrol in summer camps. This will enhance physical agility as well as mental alertness. Yoga camps are held in different places. The physical director of your school or college can help you to take assistance from the District Sports Authority.

2. Time spent with your grandparents becomes a sweet memory both for you and you grandparents. They will joyfully share with you their stories of the good old days and their life experiences.

3. Go an excursion or a pilgrimage with your family. This will refresh your mind, strengthen family bonds and improve social relations.

4. Visit an orphanage or a home for the destitute to inculcate compassion for the poor and the needy. You will realize how lucky you are and how you should be grateful to God and your parents.

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Trust me when I say, I have been there, done that, mostly in the frittered away and squandered category. Suddenly the summer is upon you, the last day of school is over, the future stretches ahead of you, wonderful, “pressureless’, unmapped and unplanned. Nothing is demanded of you and you demand nothing of anyone else. Bliss!

Or is it? After the first three days of determinedly doing nothing, reality catches up. YOU may be on holiday, but are your parents as free as you? Chances are, if they are working, a vacation means two weeks of packing up the family and spending oodles of money just to get everyone out of the city, no matter how much it costs. Great for you, hard for them.

Then, what about your domestic help? Does your vacation mean more work for her because you have decided that you have earned all that free time, can sleep as late as you want and can generally be a nuisance. All because you have been (hopefully) doing what is your duty, including studying, passing exams and getting decent grades.

Believe me when I say that after three days of lolling around, you will begin to miss a structure to your day, even if the structure is formed around giving yourself a break and enjoying yourself. For then, you will realize that even enjoyment has many meanings, not all of them self-indulgent.

In the pages to come, we have a host of suggestions on what you could do during your vacation so that you look back upon them and say,” Hey, I was pretty good all round”. Sherene Aftab’s piece on 12 things to do to ensure you treat your free time wisely is a must read. And by the way, reading is one of them, besides practicing public speaking in front of a mirror, playing board games (definitely trendy), learning leisure time cooking, doing a bit of holiday homework and generally value-adding to your surroundings.

Pearl Mathias has an article on how important it is to reach out to each other, because loneliness is a real social disease and how much does it cost to be nice to someone! And Nidhika Bhal continues a long-running discussion on what it takes to be a leader.

I know the feeling – your summer holiday stretches ahead, every free minute a gold coin deposited in the Bank of Forever Freedom. You are determined to spend frugally, horde as much as you can for the future. But Time and Tide wait for no-one and the days don’t stand still while you make up your mind about what to do. So plan ahead.

Else you will be looking at a past holiday during which you don’t remember a single worthwhile thing you did!

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It is that time of the year when gruelling exams have finally given way to the last day of the semester. Students feel a mixed bag of emotions. Happy to not have to wake up early in the morning for school, and sad that they would miss their friends during the semester break.

The excitement often lasts for only a few days, and then the feeling of boredom sets in. Lack of routine and creative ideas to spend the vacation often results in waking up later than usual, distorted eating schedules, binge-watching TV shows, hours spent aimlessly in front of computer screens or mobiles. All these activities lack the much-needed intellectual and emotional stimulation that would encourage gainful experiences and keep boredom and routine at bay.

Let’s look at a few ideas on how you could spend your summer vacations doing intellectually-challenging and emotionally-stimulating activities. It is important to consider the following first, before you look at busying yourself with extra-curricular activities:

1. Reflecting on the past semester

This means that you take stock of your actions and your results of the past semester. Ponder over the questions that are listed below and devise suitable plans for the next semester.

How do I feel about my previous semester? Was the semester hard? Did I manage my time correctly? Did I balance my study and fun time?

Did I do well in my previous semester? If not, why? If yes, how do I continue to strive to do better every time?
Is there anything that I could improve about myself? Maybe I need to be more self-confident, maybe I need to be more assertive? Am I afraid of failing in a task?

2. Goal setting

This aspect focuses on taking “Actions”. While you thought over your previous semester, you may want to do a follow-up on your reflections. You may want to devise goals and plans to achieve in the next semester. You need to devise “Progress Goals” — a roadmap that helps you achieve your goals.

Example:

GOAL:

• “I want to become more confident at public speaking”.

PROGRESS GOALS:

• I will practise a speech every day in front of the mirror,
• I will then perform the speech in front of someone,
• If I make mistakes, I will not let myself get disheartened. I will try again.

Once you have devised Process Goals, you are more likely to feel geared towards achieving your goals. While you are at it, don’t forget to enjoy your vacations, too. Pick any of the recommended activities from the list mentioned below. Ensure that you pick activities that you would truly enjoy so that you are more likely to engage in them often. While you are at it, try to choose activities that incorporate social and physical activities as well. And these activities would help you enhance your personality and social skills.

1. Invest your time in card games, board games and jigsaw puzzles

These games are not only intellectually stimulating, but also encourage social interaction. You could request your parents for a ‘Fun-hour’ with them; it is a good way to encourage family time and bonding. You could also invite your cousins or friends over for a get-together to play a game of cards or board games.

2. Reading

The best way to begin is to pick your choice of topic (it could be current affairs, history, legendary icons, etc.). You could read and research that topic and have a discussion with your parents and siblings about your research. This would not only improve your knowledge, it would also encourage you to practise your verbal communication skills. Another way to develop your love for reading is to pick a fiction or non-fiction book and reflect on what you loved about that book or how that book has influenced you.

My top 5 non-fiction book recommendations:

• The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective Teens by Stephen Covey
• The Success Principles by Jack Canfield with Janet Switzer
• Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life by William H. McRaven
• How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie
• Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson

3. Gardening

Planting and gardening are activities that nurture your emotional well-being. Try to grow a coriander plant, a chilli plant, curry leaves plant, or germinate sprouts. These are the easiest to garden.

Wouldn’t it be amazing to cut fresh coriander leaves from your pot to add to your mom’s food?

Buy bags of potting soil, seeds and pots and make a fun and creative garden on your balcony or house lawn.

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