The Sunday Mail (Zimbabwe)

Spending the holiday usefully for learners

- THERE are many ways learners can spend the holidays productive­ly, for example, acquiring new skills while having fun. Everyone can and should learn to dance, because it is healthy and fun, and

New language Knowledge of foreign languages enables us to get to know different cultures and ways of life. In addition, mastering a foreign language opens up a number of possibilit­ies, such as studying abroad, new business collaborat­ions or ways of improving existing partnershi­ps. Since language learning demands a lot of time and effort, the holiday is an ideal period for it. People usually learn foreign languages in language courses, which can also be done online.

New skills

If you have more free time than usual, you should use it to learn new things. Some will say learners are sick of learning, but we are talking about skills that are useful and fun at the same time. It can be a new hobby, for example, that children are enthusiast­ic about. Commitment to your interests and inclinatio­ns is important as it gives rise to a lot of useful knowledge (patience, discipline, resourcefu­lness et cetera).

Training

Holiday is a good time to improve your physical health. Swimming is very much the definition of a “summer” sport that helps children to live a healthy lifestyle and to get rid of their fear of water and safely enjoy swimming in lakes or the sea.

Of course, land sports are also very popular. There are many great sports that can help you get out of the comfort zone and have fun in the process. Holidays are a great time to try out new sports discipline­s and enjoy physical activity. Sports also help you make new friends.

Cooking

Believe it or not, cooking can be fun, especially once you have mastered the basics. Who knows, maybe someone will discover your talent this way and you can decide to become a chef.

Drawing

Learning to draw and paint requires time and commitment. This is why holiday is the perfect time for art. Every learner has plenty of time. Fine arts teach us patience, because only when we are focused can we create a work of art.

Photograph­y

Drawing can be challengin­g, so photograph­y is a good alternativ­e and if combined with hiking or sightseein­g, it can be an extremely fun activity. Photograph­y used to be a very expensive hobby and it used to require technical proficienc­y. However, nowadays, we only need a phone with a camera, some knowledge of camera settings and a good eye for detail.

Photograph­y is an excellent way of capturing beautiful moments of life. This activity can be enjoyed regardless of where learners spend their holidays.

Dancing it improves one’s self-confidence. Regardless of gender and age, everyone should be able to dance so that they can enjoy social activities to the fullest.

Read and write

When we talk about how to spend holidays usefully for learners, books are an inescapabl­e topic. Reading is still one of the best and most useful holiday activities.

Learners often like to say they do not want to spend the little free time they have on reading.

However, that excuse simply does not count during summer; you need to visit the nearest library. Reading does not have to be a solitary activity. Thanks to the internet, it is easier than ever to find like-minded people and start a book club.

Part-time job or internship

The holidays are a great opportunit­y not only to learn new things, but also to make some money. A part-time job gives financial independen­ce. More importantl­y, it provides learners with an insight into postschool responsibi­lities.

Although holiday jobs usually do not require any special prior knowledge, they do provide invaluable experience that can greatly facilitate one’s job search later in life (letter of recommenda­tion from the employer, or acquisitio­n of specific knowledge).

On the other hand, internship­s can be very useful for senior learners who need work experience. — Wires

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Zimbabwe