According to experts, summer is an opportunity for children to relax and play the games and sports they like - Photo: QUANG DINH
Every year, Ms. Nguyen Minh Phuong, who lives in Linh Trung ward (Thu Duc city, Ho Chi Minh city), sends her child to summer programs. She noticed that in the summer of 2024, the number of summer programs increased "dizzily".
All kinds of programs, from millions to hundreds of millions
Ms. Phuong tried searching for the keyword "summer program" on Facebook or Google, the search results quickly returned more than 50 large and small programs, from English centers, life skills centers, private schools to even foreign universities.
The content of summer programs is quite diverse, such as reviewing cultural knowledge, foreign languages, STEM, life skills, camping, and picnics.
"There are centers with very strange names. Many centers are inactive for almost the entire year, but in the summer they have programs. Because I have spent a long time researching, I can see that many parents who are new to the program will probably find it very confusing," said Ms. Phuong.
Ms. Nguyen Thuy Tram Anh, whose child is studying at Nguyen Du Secondary School (District 1), said she found the fees for this year's summer courses to be too different. For example, a 2-3 week English summer camp costs from 2-10 million VND, a STEM summer camp costs from 3-8 million VND, a foreign exchange summer camp costs from 6-50 million VND, and there are courses costing 80 million VND...
"There are also some centers that charge the same price for the same program but this year it is 5-10 million VND more than last year, especially for programs that combine tourism and picnics. Some centers say it is because of the high price of airfare," said Ms. Tram Anh.
In early summer 2024, many cases of "fraud" with summer programs were shared in the media. Some fanpages of centers and organizations were impersonated to recruit students for fake summer programs. In some cases, parents were scammed from tens to hundreds of millions of dong.
The focus during the summer is not on parents, but on children.
Mr. Tieu Minh Son
How to design summer for children?
MSc. Tieu Minh Son - lecturer of soft skills, Student Capacity Development Center, Van Lang University - shared that the first criterion when choosing a summer program is that students must love it.
Parents should not just see a good program and then direct their children to study. Instead, they should ask their children what they want to learn: musical instruments, singing, sports, experience. Or if the children are not sure, parents should advise based on their children's talents and strengths.
The second factor to consider is the program content: does the family want a short or long experience program, in or out of town? When there is a program, parents need to carefully review the summer program, what it includes, what the food and accommodation are like, what safety measures are in place, etc. In particular, it is necessary to see what is new in the program, because if the programs are the same every year, children will easily get bored.
Finally, there is the cost. Current summer programs have different prices, so parents should carefully understand the price components. For example, some programs separate the cost of meals from the tuition. A careful analysis will help parents avoid unexpected costs and choose a program that fits their budget.
Meanwhile, Ms. Nguyen Thuy Uyen Phuong, founder of Tomato Education, suggests that parents can design a summer for their children based on balancing the goals of rest, experience and learning. Specifically, ⅓ of the summer can be for children to relax, even use their phones, play games... That should be the time for children to design for themselves and do what they want.
The next ⅓ of summer is the time to invest in experiences for your children. Parents should let their children learn things that they have not learned at school but that they did not have the opportunity to learn during the year due to the pressure of studying. For example, this year, Ms. Phuong invested in a creative writing course for her child. In addition, her child wants to take an additional chess course because she did not have the opportunity to study during the year.
The remaining 1/3 of summer, usually close to the school year, is an opportunity for children to consolidate their knowledge and prepare for the new school year. After the break, children may become "sluggish" or lose some study habits. This period of time is essential for children to enter the new school year in the best way possible.
Study abroad "reconnaissance" trips
Mr. Quan Minh Dung, head of the Career Guidance and University Preparation Center of the Vietnam-Australia International School, shared that students planning to study abroad should take advantage of the summer to learn about life abroad in advance because studying abroad is not only about "studying" but also about "living".
Students can find out in two ways. The first way is to look up information through the official information pages of the city or state they want to go to, focusing on daily activities such as eating, traveling, living... Or they can call or text directly with relatives living in that area.
Second, many students now have the opportunity to choose summer study tours organized by reputable organizations. In addition, there is also the form of summer camps that help students meet friends from all over the world to improve their foreign language skills.
According to Mr. Dung, if you intend to choose the form of summer study abroad, parents should discuss with their children based on their goals and abilities, to have a clear roadmap. For example, when children are not confident in English, they should send them to a summer camp that focuses on English training. Or when children have never been abroad, parents should consider choosing nearby countries like Singapore and gradually expand to more distant countries like Australia, the US, and Canada.
"Those are valuable study abroad scouting trips for students to quickly determine their study abroad destination," said Mr. Dung.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/chi-ca-tram-trieu-de-con-co-mot-mua-he-y-nghia-lieu-co-hieu-qua-20240522083539064.htm
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