Presently, the day of a festival or celebration in India is a holiday for children. In this article, we explore how these national events can be celebrated in schools to:
• Understand the historical importance of the day
• Understand their implication on the present
• Teach the child life skills
• Impart the child with values that last for a lifetime
One easy way to do so is to invite the parents and the child to school on the day of the festival. Then encourage them to participate in any activated slotted for the event. By including parents, you give them a way to offer their child undivided attention, something many miss out due to the burden of professional and household duties. The school provides the parents with a space that required no distractions, just free time to pay attention to their kids while participating in activities.
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For the child, it strengthens the belief that he or she is surrounded by a supportive, collaborative and harmonious environment. Furthermore, when a school celebrates an occasion or festival, they move beyond the surface value of it. They teach the child the underlying values. For example, instead of talking about the religious implications of a festival, the spirit of it is discussed, the cultural heritage is spoken of. Through this kind of celebration, a child can gain life values such as:
• Compassion
• Sharing
• Friendship
• Resilience
• courage
The top experts in education believe that these skills especially in the face of adversity as crucial as building Emotional and Intelligence Quotient, i.e., EQ and IQ. To emphasise and impart these skills, the crux of each festival is explained to children and parents alike which gives them a fresh perspective on community, culture and empathy.
Let’s say Holi is to be celebrated in the school. Instead of relying on pop-culture references and themes that are used by every other academic institute, we pick a specific topic. The idea has to be fun and education to the students. Even before the day of the celebration, the kids are immersed in the history and understanding of the theme. This helps them gain a better insight into it. Additionally, it is not just limited to a day of fun but a day that added value to each child.
The reason schools should use events and festivals is that the learning can move beyond four walls of the institute and into the home-life. It is when teaching is imparted at all touch points when a child reaches their real potential. Plus, when a parent sees that moment when a child practices the skills they have been taught or absorbed that makes it all worth it. It motivates the child and the parent to work harder to create such awe-inspiring instances..
