School Holidays
Family /Parenting

Por: P. Fintan Kelly L. C | Fuente: Catholic.net

The holidays, are not a liturgical moment marked by the Church, we decided to include them, because being a time of relaxation and intense conviviality, can be used to grow spiritually and humanly in family. Then we offer some ideas to take advantage of the Holidays


I. Work on values and virtues
Family School of virtues

Parents can take advantage of the holidays to work in a personal manner with each child in some virtue which they consider necessary to develop, fulfilling a work plan to achieve this. This can be adapted according to the age of the child.

A virtue is a habit, an usual good. The human and supernatural virtues are the tools with which we are going to be able to live the values in our families. Parents, in order to educate them, we should know them, to live them and develop them both in ourselves and in our children.

 


II. Work in the development of personal talents

Another idea for the holidays is to read the Parable of talents in our family and do an exercise in which each other has to discover what are their talents and how to grow them in the holiday by putting them at the service of others.

The talents can be grouped in different areas:

•    Social
•    Intellectuals
•    Morales
•    Artistic
•    Sports


These talents should be directed toward a constant gratitude to God. Also, to encourage the sharing and enjoying. You can have a calendar in which each day, children go marking what talents will develop that day and how this will be done. In the night, must give thanks to God for the effort made.


III. Works of mercy

This vacation time can be exploited to carry out works of mercy in family.
For this purpose, it is appropriate to establish in our holiday calendar activities such as the ones suggested:

visit a hospital or nursing home: You can prepare songs and biscuits to accompany those who suffer. Must have clear that are making a work of mercy and that it is the living Christ to whom they are visiting.

Help to the neediest, collecting newsprint, clothes or food for then deliver in the parish, the Red Cross or any institution that children decide.

Organize a workshop of the Toy: this is repair, repaint and fix those toys that are no longer used and that can serve as entertainment to other children.
See our special section of the Jubilee Year of Mercy


IV. Entertainment with human and spiritual formation

Selected books and movies with a message to read, see and analyze in family.

 

V. Agenda for vacation:

You can prove and it is very useful to make a Calendar or Date Book on holiday in which each day put a phrase to reflect and a purpose to fulfill. You can make them attractive to children if it is done in the form of a booklet and in each day is a space for them to write or draw what they did that day.
It is recommended to begin with this agenda on Friday in order to properly follow up the sequence of the holiday.