Danger: activity overload

While the summer break offers a multitude of opportunities for children to get involved in new academic and self-development activities, there are mixed feelings over whether it is beneficial to keep them in the routine of learning or to give them a break.

Some parents fear the "summer slide" when, education professionals believe, academic skills decline during the holidays. In the UK, for instance, the Institute for Public Policy Research points out that nearly all students fall behind academically to some extent during the six-week break. However, the institute also claims that children who spend their holidays without any stimulus tend to fall further behind than those who took part in activities that focus on different learning skills.

In the US, a study published in the Review of Educational Research found that at best, students show little or no academic growth over the summer, and at worst, they can lose between up to three months' worth of learning.

Meanwhile, in Hong Kong, Dr Chui Yat-hung, a chartered psychologist and MA programme leader in guidance and counselling at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University's (PolyU) Department of Applied Social Sciences, says many parents view the summer holidays as an opportunity for their children to improve their grades and reach additional markers of achievement. 

"There is a lot of competition for places in preferred local and international schools, both at primary and secondary level," Chui says. "Some parents feel if their children attend summer school programmes and do well, they will stand out as applicants to their next school."

While it is natural for parents to want a promising future for their children, Chui believes that during the summer holidays they should also be wary of obsessively pushing their children to achieve higher grades, or study topics that don't interest them. "Parents should talk to their children and explain why they believe extra academic studies will help them," he says.

Children, particularly teenagers, should also have a say in what they choose to study. "Parents could find their child achieves better results when they select topics because they are personally meaningful to the student," he says. To avoid overstretching a child's capabilities, he advises parents to look for signs of loss of motivation and the ability to concentrate.