by Maya Pottiger

The holiday break is just around the corner, and you and your kids might have very different ideas of how to spend the time off from school. Though it’s absolutely critical for students to rest their bodies and minds — seriously, let them sleep! — it’s also important to make sure they aren’t completely disengaged.

Learning loss isn’t as much of a concern during the winter break compared to the longer summer holiday, but ignoring academics the whole time will still set them back and make the return to school more difficult.

Though the break might seem like a lot of time at the outset, the days can go by quickly. 

“The way you find the balance is by setting aside a certain amount of time each day or a couple times throughout the week,” says Jania Otey, a homeschool parent and founder of the D.C.-based Kids & Culture Camp, “where your child is going to be engaged in some type of academic or enrichment activity.”

At the beginning of break or a few days before, ask your children what they want to learn or accomplish during the time off. This helps you “find out what they’re interested in, and then you can come up with some activity centered around that,” Otey says.

We asked parents and teachers for tips to find the balance between letting their kids rest…