As France completes its third week of confinement, children in zone C begin to go - or rather, stay - on holiday on Monday 6 April. For parents, this new stage in the confinement can be greeted with a touch of relief (home schooling was not always easy), but also with a little stress (how will we keep them occupied at home for a fortnight?!).

In this article, we'll look back at theimportance of these weeks of vacation, and give you some ideas on how to make these local vacations memorable for you and your child(ren).

Why holidays are important, even in confinement.

First of all, because they break the routine for everyone. The confinement imposed a new organization and demanded a lot of adaptation from all family members. Any adaptation "costs" our emotional management system. Taking a break from this organization will enable us to return to it more serenely in two weeks' time.

Vacations also allow us to slow down our pace, to match our child's pace rather than the school curriculum or our work video conferences. The pressure is off, and we find what we were promised at the start of our confinement, and which many parents have yet to find: time.

If you're not on vacation yourself, you'll enjoy it a little less, but it's still important togive your child a break. Try to fit some relaxing time in your schedule with your child - it'll do everyone a world of good.

On holiday, your child learns in a different way, by playing...

It cannot be repeated often enough: children learn, grow and live through play. Play is vital for children. From the age of 2 or 3, they are very attracted to games of imagination and make-believe. Vacations are special times when children have plenty of time to play these games.

By playing doctor, for example, children are confronted with a real-life situation, and practice experiencing and going through emotions, both pleasant and unpleasant. By inventing their own worlds and stories with knights, dolls, cars and costumes, children develop their creativity and social skills.

Holidays provide real unstructured time in your child's day when they will be looking for something to do on their own. Let's not forget that boredom is key to the development of their creativity. It gives the child time to try things out, experiment, and develop their imagination.

... but also by participating in the life of the home

Vacations at home are also a golden opportunity to teach your child to contribute to the life of the household. Depending on your child's age, choose a few of his or her own responsibilities (making the bed, setting the table, feeding the dog) and help him or her learn how to do these tasks, until they can do them on their own.

Invite him or her to cook with you, wipe the windows with a damp cloth... even if the result isn't perfect. It's an opportunity to spend quality time with your child, and it saves you the costly double task of trying to cook or clean while at the same time responding to your child's requests.

How to make those weeks at home feel like a holiday

But even if we are convinced of the benefits of a vacation at home, there is always a touch of disappointment at the idea of not being able to leave. That's why it's also important to give these weeks a real taste of vacation!

Some ideas to brighten up the next two weeks at home:

1. Change the setting or rhythm of the day a little: shift your children's bedtime, stay in pyjamas in the mornings, add a moment of family dance before each snack... anything that's "not as usual" can help create a vacation atmosphere.  
2. Invent themes for your evenings: board games, mime evenings, "everyone dresses up", or an evening around your photo albums to travel back in time....
3. Vary your meals: why not have a picnic in the living room on Sunday lunchtime? Or a 5-star meal followed by a grand ball, with everyone dressed to the nines? Or, on the other hand, a cutlery-free dinner in aperitif mode?
4. Leave without leaving! Choose a destination and build a day around it: Spain? Make a paella, dress up in red, yellow and black, improvise a flamenco dance routine and learn a few Spanish words together! Are you dreaming of India? A good curry, a bit of music and a few mandalas to color in as a family, you'll feel like you're there. And don't forget to write your child a postcard to his or her grandparents!

As adults, we place a lot of importance on holidays and the breath of fresh air they give us in our daily lives, and this is normal. Remember that the biggest breath of fresh air you can give your child is quality time with you. In your living room or in the Caribbean, your child will remember most of what you did together.

Happy holidays to all!

‍