Holidays without homework, but not without learning: reading, games and conversation for the Christmas break

Rest is part of learning

This school year the Christmas break runs from 22 to 31 December. There is no need to turn it into catch-up time: after a busy first semester children need sleep, movement and calm. A rested pupil finds it easier to get back into regular work in January.

Learning on days off can still be enjoyable and almost invisible. What works best is what you already do together — reading, games, cooking, conversations — with a little added curiosity.

Reading aloud

Reading to children every day has long been promoted in Poland by the ABCXXI Foundation's 'All of Poland Reads to Kids' campaign (Cała Polska czyta dzieciom). The habit matters later too: according to the National Library's data for 2024, 41% of Poles read at least one book in a year, and the group that reads most is teenagers aged 15–18 (54%).

• Younger children: 15–20 minutes of reading together before bed, talking about what might happen next.
• Older children: take turns — a page each — or an audiobook on the way to relatives.
• Teenagers: let them choose, including comics or graphic novels. Enjoyment matters more than the reading list.
• Visit the library before the holidays: many let you borrow more books for the break.

Maths at the table and in the kitchen

Counting in everyday situations reinforces skills better than another worksheet, because children see what it is for.

• Baking: halve or double a recipe, weigh the ingredients.
• Board and card games with scoring: the child keeps the score sheet and adds it up at the end.
• Shopping: estimate the total before the till shows it.
• Calendar: how many days until the winter break, how many hours of sleep, how many minutes a walk will take.

Conversation instead of quizzing

The holidays are a chance for children to talk with grandparents and relatives. Short questions about school in the old days, jobs or places the family lived build vocabulary and curiosity about history. Instead of 'what did you learn?', ask 'what surprised you recently?' or 'what would you like to be able to do next year?'.

Eighth-graders and matura students

Pupils facing exams may need a bit more structure. A short fixed slot — say 30 minutes before noon — to recall one topic from memory is enough, with the rest of the day free. Pupils in regions whose winter break starts on 19 January go back to school just before the trial eighth-grade exam (12–14 January), so calm reviews in late December can help.

Screens without a battle

On days off screen time easily grows. Shared rules work better than bans: screens after time outdoors, a film together instead of separate phones, phones out of the bedroom at night. It helps when adults follow the same rules.