Your child has been counting down to the end of the school year for the last two weeks. Although he or she looks forward to an exciting, fun-filled and carefree summer season, what the young one fails to realize is how easily boredom sets in during a shoddily planned vacation period. After the family trip and days at the playground, things are quick to get dull.

Entertaining kids is not the only concern.  As a parent, you definitely would not want a good fraction of a year in the crucial stages of your child’s development wasted.

Choosing the right program

There are few opportunities that  parents can consider to creatively invest in a child’s enrichment than the summer break.  The challenge is to find the ideal summer camp or program that is beneficial, enjoyable, and suitable to a child’s strengths and interests. Enrolling your son or daughter in a program with even one of these facets missing would be an expensive and potentially unpleasant waste of time. It is vital to consult your child before enlisting in anything. Another thing you should consider is if your child would still have enough free time in this summer holiday. It is, by definition, a break;  time must also be allotted for rest and recreation, to meet with friends or engage in other activities.

Individual summer programs generally fall under one of three broad categories: academics, athletics, and arts. A fourth category focuses on social work / volunteerism, where your child can engage in some form of civic aid (pet rescue centers are a favorite among kids).

Fortunately, Hong Kong has many options for singular programs in these fields, and quite a few camps whose activities encompass most. Asides skills training, these camps are also excellent platforms for instilling positive values and building confidence and strong, moral character.

Learn, Play, Make

Classroom learning may not seem so thrilling to a child who had just earned time away from campus. However, countless subjects could catch his or her fancy, classes typically not provided at school. For sciences, there are biology camps that let your child observe and interact with animals, astronomy camps that entail time spent at the observatory, and technology and engineering camps such as robotics with Lego. Young entrepreneurship programs educate kids on business and even digital commerce platforms. Historical courses include trips to heritage sights, national parks and other places of significance. Summer is a great time to learn a language, improve speech, and practice writing, as well as prepare for exams.

The school break is perfect for taking up a new sport, or further engaging in one your child already enjoys. While a variety of ball, indoor court, and field sports and the like are available, you may want to take advantage of the occasion and go for something less accessible and more suited to the climate. Swimming lessons are an obvious choice, while surfing and other surface water sports are growing in popularity. Other typical activities such as extreme sports and shooting are also available, but you need to conduct some research to choose the best and sutable organization that have experiences and fit your child needs. Summer camps tend to have multiple outdoor activities scheduled for participants. The key ingredients of fun, exercise and social interaction make enlisting in these camps a meaningful endeavor.

Summer programs devoted to the arts are plentiful in Hong Kong.  Several workshops exist tackling a variety of disciplines: visual, literary, performance and even culinary arts. Painting and sculpture classes sit alongside illustration, photography, film and architecture, made specifically for kids and adolescents.

Drama and musical theater clubs run year round, and hold special summer workshops. The diversity of dance genres continues to grow. Music programs have evolved to include rock and electronic sound production.

The summer vacation is a wonderful time to hone your child’s intelligences in exhilarating environments. Spare your child from idle afternoons and find the program that you both find exciting.  Most importantly, have a close relationship with your child is the key.