Feel free to comment and let us know, what are you and your student doing during Winter Break?
With your student home for Winter Break and the holidays, now is a great time to spend some quality time together reconnecting and bonding after a few months apart. The question is….what do you do? We’ve included below a few ideas and suggestions of what you and your student can do.
- Volunteer together to help with a local holiday meal, gift-wrapping booth or adoption days at the local animal shelter.
- Take an elderly neighbor or relative out to do something they like that will get them in the holiday spirit.
- Try an improv class, Pilates or some other activity that could be fun for both of you to try.
- Ask them to meet you for lunch at your office so you can introduce them to your co-workers.
- Go on a walk or bike ride together.
- Cook a nice meal together to share with family or friends—see if your student has any new recipes to share or if they want to learn how to make one of your specialties.
- Ask your student to share some of their papers and projects with you from the semester that they’re particularly proud of.
- Have a craft night. Pinterest is a great place for inspiration.
- Have a parent/student night at the movies or if you have younger children, have a sibling/student night!
- Head to the local nail salon and get a manicure and/or pedicure with your student.
- Look through digital photos that your student wants to share—it’s a good way to see who their friends are and what their surroundings look like.
- Get a group together and go Christmas caroling.
- Stay in some night, with popcorn and board games.
- Host a New Year’s potluck with friends so you can all enjoy one another’s company once the holiday hub-bub has died down—and share your leftovers.
- Watch football with your student. All those bowl games must be watched!
Regardless of what you and your student do to reconnect, remember everyone is different! It’s always best to ask your student what they would like to do. It’s also important not to over plan. During the holiday break, it’s easy to want to cram lots of family time into the small window of time that your student is home. However, it’s important not to overwhelm anyone. So, ask your student what they would like to do during their time at home. Chances are, they’ll be eager to sleep and regroup after the stress of finals. Yet, listen to what else they have to say so that their priorities are in the mix, too. This will help make for a healthy, happy holiday season for all.