Learning in summer - «little, but daily»

Learning expert Katrin Piazza explains in an interview why the summer holidays are particularly suitable for learning through play.

Ms Piazza, learning during the holidays - is this a new expression of our meritocracy?

Pressure and demands are part or even a characteristic of the meritocracy. Unfortunately, this was already the case when I was at school in the 1970s. My experience is that if parents manage to convey calmness and confidence and an attitude of «small steps lead to the goal», the pressure is much easier for children and young people to bear.

Who should study during the summer holidays?

Basically: 1. anyone who runs the risk of unlearning important basic skills over the summer holidays. 2. anyone who wants to develop (or re-develop) a positive attitude towards learning at school - but then it is important to learn in a decidedly different way, i.e. to develop new, favourable habits. This means: small, effective learning portions instead of endless «learning orgies».

"Leisure courses such as yoga, climbing or canoeing can also provide important training for (school) learning," says learning coach Karin Piazza.

For you, learning does not always automatically mean school...

I think it's a shame when learning is always primarily associated with «school» and in the second breath with «tedious». The summer holidays are a great time for learning: trying out new things, learning a technique like slacklining, riding a unicycle, reading a good book, playing chess, training guinea pigs...

Learning to slackline or ride a unicycle is certainly more fun than swotting up on maths formulae. How can learning for school be fun?

Here too: Few, small portions, but daily. Care should be taken to ensure that positive experiences are made and that there is a sense of achievement. The learning material should be chosen in such a way that a feeling of «I can do this!» is created. Incidentally, leisure courses such as yoga, climbing or canoeing can also provide important training for (school) learning: Persevere, make an effort, manage your own strength or practise patience.

What experiences do you have with children and young people who (have to) study during the summer holidays?

When parents, children and young people apply the above principle, the experiences are good. The relaxed time during the holidays can even be used for learning experiments - sometimes with positive surprises! «It's not that difficult,» said one of my fourth-graders, who spent 10 to 15 minutes a day practising his multiplication tables with the flashcards.

Nevertheless, there will also be children and young people who will not be enthusiastic about learning on holiday. When will it be difficult?

This is when ideas diverge: Parents who think their child should study until midday every morning, while the child thinks one hour is enough. My job as a coach is then to help parents and their offspring to develop sensible and realistic plans.

What does that do to the child if it also has to study during the holidays? They never have any time off.

I'm not a psychologist, but the attitude of the parents behind it seems important to me. If the message is «Learning is a bad thing, and unfortunately we have to torture you with it during the holidays», then that is of course counterproductive. The parents' message could also be: «Hey, now we finally have a lot of time to relax and learn French... We'll visit Lausanne or La-Chaux-de-Fonds, order pizza in French and fill our flashcards with five new words every day...». "

Some people say that only long holidays are suitable for learning. Short ones, such as the autumn holidays, should be all about relaxation.

As a learning coach, I always focus on the individual - there is no one-size-fits-all recommendation here. I have already seen a fourth-grader develop a completely different approach to writing in ten days by keeping a holiday diary with her mother. This daily quarter of an hour was anything but stressful and was time well spent.

Are learning camps that combine activities with learning a good alternative? What should parents look out for?

Camps and camps can be a great experience - especially because the participants are among their peers. Lots of laughter is guaranteed. This is ideal for learning. Of course, parents should check the experience and qualifications of the organisations running the camps and camps, and ask for references. Personally, it is very important to me that my children not only learn, but also play, spend time in nature and have fun.

About the person:

Katrin Piazza works in her own coaching practice in Zurich. She is the mother of two grown-up children.

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