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Holidays, that longed-for moment that never seems to come. We count the months, days and hours to enjoy those days of disconnection in which we abandon the daily routine. These are days when we do different things, we leave the house, we enjoy the beach, the mountains, the swimming pool or even the city. This feeling of freedom and well-being is not only experienced by adults, children are also happy on vacation.
So much so that a recent study claims that Holidays have a much greater impact on children's happiness and even in their well-being than toys.
Research published in the Journal of Commercial Research states that Holidays have a deeper impact on children than material gifts like toys or other whims. They produce in children a more intense and lasting feeling of happiness and well-being. And it is that, trips, getaways or vacations are not only fun, they are also important for the emotional growth of children.
According to this study, children who can go on vacation, be it for a long period, a long weekend or a weekend, when they return to school obtain better grades in reading and mathematics than children who do not travel.
In addition, the report explains that the positive effects they have on the child are not only instantaneous, at the moment it happens, but are also long-term, since they generate positive and lasting memories. So much so that a survey carried out in Great Britain revealed that a vast majority of people chose family vacations as their favorite childhood memory.
When we go on vacation or escape for a few days away from our place of residence, children discover new places and activities. This helps to develop and stimulate parts of the brain, from stress management to learning ability.
Holidays are much more than that moment in which we are taking a bath in the pool, taking a route through the mountains or enjoying a weekend in the countryside; are before and are after e have a very positive impact on the child:
- They promote the bond in the family
Before the holidays arrive, you have to plan them: choose the place, see images of where we will go or plan activities that we can do.
We can even go reading poetry or stories that talk about summer, investigating the history of the place we are going to go, thinking about the suitcase and everything that we will take ... We will start enjoying the holidays long before we get on the car or plane to go.
- Children can learn to save money
Not everyone can enjoy a vacation away from home; the family economy means that many families cannot have a few days away in years, but those who have an income that allows those days away can teach children to plan the economy to be able to carry out those vacations.
You can have a piggy bank where the family can put contributions throughout the year, for example, 'instead of spending this money on ice cream, we are going to put it in the piggy bank on vacation'.
- They have a high impact on memory
These days off are part of a person's memories, they last much longer than those days we spend outside. We can do an exercise with the children on a regular basis to remember the things we did, the places we visited or that funny anecdote that happened to us. This will make them very happy, both in the moment in which they live it and in the moment in which they remember it.
Definitely, We can buy children a thousand and one toys, give in to all the whims they ask of us, and yet not make them happy. But, we can go out for a few days all together and enjoy a few days of novelties, to discover, explore, enjoy, stimulate the family bond, in short, to get out of the daily routine, and we will achieve a feeling of well-being and happiness in children much bigger than all those toys and quirks.
As we have already seen, holidays are positive for children and make them happier. However, surely you agree that on these rest days it is also very common for family anger, fights and conflicts increase. Especially in the summer holidays, when we spend more days in a row all together and without much to do, more friction can occur between family members.
Although these days we disconnect from work (and thus reduce stress) there are other reasons that make us nervous: planning meals, looking for entertaining activities, planning trips, fights between siblings ... What can we do to improve family life on these vacation days?
The guide 'How to resolve family conflicts' produced by the Department of Family and Social Affairs of the Community of Madrid (Spain), gives us some advice.
- Listen to our family. To avoid problems, it is often as simple as listening to what others need or want. And if this listening is active and affective, much better.
- Talk and say what we feel. Talking about how we feel and saying what we want clearly can avoid some family conflicts.
- Show our children clearly and directly what what do we expect from them. Furthermore, we must not forget that our example is a source of learning (both good and bad).
- Trust and teach children to self-regulate.
- Keep calm when family conflict occurs. We cannot forget that we are the adults and we must know how to maintain our composure and not fall into the 'chaos' of fights.
- Teach our children to manage anger. Anger, rage, anger and frustration are emotions that children must learn to handle and it is our task as parents to offer emotional education from a young age.
Very happy holidays everyone!
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