Essay on school children should not have long holidays

School children should not have long holidays. Do you agree?

When asked if school children should have long holidays, the answers of different individuals will certainly differ. Some people have the opinion that school children should be entitled to long holidays while the others disagree. From my point of view, school children should be given long holidays. I have my own reasons for thinking so.

The freedom of school children is normally restricted by their parents during the school days as they want their children to focus on their studies in order to pass their examinations with flying colours. Apart from schooling, they have to spend a lot of time doing their homework and attending tuition classes as well. As a result, they hardly have any time left for leisure pursuits. During school holidays, more freedom is usually given and children are able to spend their time on activities that they are fond of. For example, if children have green fingers, they can spend more time on gardening. They can also spend more time on their favourite sports in order to keep fit both physically and mentally.

The arrival of long school holidays is also a good time for children to strengthen their family ties, since families need to spend time together in order to bond. Examples of activities that assist to develop close family ties are having a picnic at the seaside and playing sports and games. When children involve in family activities such as cleaning the house and preparing a meal, they learn about the spirit of cooperation and burden-sharing, thus promoting strong family ties. Besides, they learn to be more independent and responsible when they do household chores such as washing the clothes and dishes, sweeping the floor, laying the table before a meal, making their own beds, and so forth.

Another reason why long holidays are necessary is that children need to meet other relatives and to socialise with friends in the community so as to improve their interpersonal skills, since 'no man is an island'. This can be extremely beneficial to them and helps them be better equipped especially when they grow up and starts working in the society.

It is true that many parents face problems during long school holidays as their children waste their time by spending it on undesirable activities such as playing too much computer games and getting into bad company. However, I believe that such problems can be solved through proper planning, guidance and time management.

Though there are disadvantages for school children to have long school holidays, the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages. As the saying goes, 'all work and no play make Jack a dull boy'. Therefore, I disagree that school children should not have long holidays.