By Dr. Amarjeet Singh @ AJ
The school bags will soon be put aside. Alarm clocks may get a little rest. Children are counting the days, teenagers are discussing outings, and parents are asking a familiar question: “What are we going to do with them throughout the holidays?”
Then comes the next question: “How much will all this cost?”
With Christmas, family gatherings, travel, food and preparations for another school year approaching, December can become an expensive month. Yet a meaningful holiday need not depend on how far we travel or how much we spend.
It begins with deciding what our family needs: rest, reconnection, a little adventure and opportunities to grow.
For Malaysian government and government-aided schools, KPM’s 2026 calendar lists year-end holidays from 4–31 December for Group A, covering Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu, and 5–31 December for Group B, covering the remaining states and federal territories. Parents should check their own school’s notices and the next year’s calendar before booking.
Whatever the dates, the bigger question remains: What will our children take away from this holiday?
Some laughter? A stronger relationship with us? A skill they never knew they could learn? Perhaps all three.
Begin with a family conversation
Before paying for a camp or booking a hotel, sit together.
Ask each child what they enjoyed during the year, what exhausted them and what they would like to try. A younger child may want to learn cycling. A teenager may want to cook, edit videos, play an instrument or spend time with friends.
Listen before deciding.
We sometimes organise holidays around what we believe children should enjoy, then wonder why they appear uninterested.
Give them choices within clear limits. Explain the available budget, the days parents can take leave and any responsibilities at home.
A family plan becomes easier to follow when children help create it.
Set the budget before the excitement takes over
Holiday advertisements sell excitement. Parents still have to manage January.
Before setting aside money for travel or entertainment, account for household commitments and school needs. Uniforms, shoes, stationery, transport and other expenses should have their place.
Then decide what is comfortably available for holiday activities.
For illustration, a family with RM600 available might allocate RM200 for an outing, RM100 for learning materials, RM100 for a special meal and RM200 as a buffer. These are spending limits, rather than estimates of market prices.
Write down the smaller costs too: parking, tolls, snacks, additional tickets and purchases made because “we are already here”.
Children can participate in this exercise. Let them compare options and decide what matters most.
There is a useful lesson in saying: “We can afford one of these activities. Which shall we choose?”
Enjoyment and financial responsibility can sit at the same table.
Let children have a holiday
A child who has spent months attending school, tuition, examinations and organised activities may need some breathing space.
Avoid filling every available hour.
Allow time for play, reading, drawing, friendships and simply having an unhurried morning. Leave room for children to invent their own games and interests.
Keep a gentle routine, with sensible sleeping hours, movement and household responsibilities. But resist turning the home into another examination centre.
Learning can happen without a worksheet. A cardboard construction, a garden project or a conversation with a grandparent can be part of a valuable day.
Choose one skill they want to learn
There is no need to enrol a child in five programmes to make the holiday worthwhile.
Choose one realistic goal.
For younger children, this could mean swimming lessons, simple food preparation, gardening, storytelling, cycling or learning words in another language.
Teenagers might explore photography, public speaking, spreadsheets, graphic design, basic coding, music or bicycle maintenance.
Match the activity to the child’s interests, current ability and support needs.
Before paying for a programme, ask what participants will actually do. Who supervises them? Are materials included? Is the activity suitable for beginners? Will children get time to practise?
A useful outcome is something the child can demonstrate or explain.
“I can prepare breakfast.”
“I built this model.”
“I can introduce myself in Punjabi.”
Progress becomes meaningful when children recognise it themselves.
Explore robotics and AI with curiosity
Robotics and artificial intelligence can be interesting holiday learning opportunities. Parents do not need to understand every technical term before exploring them together.
Begin with a simple project.
A younger child could build a model and explain how its moving parts work. An older child could try a beginner coding activity or a supervised robotics session.
For teenagers, an AI project might involve comparing a tool’s explanation with reliable sources, improving a presentation or developing ideas for a small community project.
Make checking part of the task: What is accurate? What needs correction? Can the child explain the result independently?
Use services suitable for the child’s age, follow their rules and supervise appropriately. Teach children to keep personal details, school information and private family material out of prompts.
The learning goal should remain clear: curiosity, reasoning and the ability to create something useful.
Teach the everyday skills adulthood requires
We worry about whether our children will manage the future. Holidays give us opportunities to practise the basics with them.
Can they organise their belongings, wash a plate, fold clothes, prepare a shopping list or speak politely when asking for help?
Can a teenager compare prices, follow a recipe, plan a simple journey or manage a small amount of money?
Start with manageable responsibilities and demonstrate patiently.
Younger children can sort laundry, water plants and pack away toys. Teenagers can plan a meal, help with groceries or organise part of a family outing.
Expect mistakes. Allow questions.
A child learning to cook may take longer and leave more cleaning behind. That is part of learning, rather than a reason to take over immediately.
Travel with attention
A holiday can be a flight overseas, a domestic trip, a visit to relatives or a day exploring somewhere nearby.
Choose what suits the family’s means and energy.
Give children a role. Let them research a destination, work out a route or help decide which attractions fit the budget.
During the outing, encourage them to notice the people and place around them. What work supports the local community? What is the history of an old building? Why is a particular food associated with that town?
Leave space between activities. Hungry, tired children rarely enjoy an itinerary designed to cover everything.
Before travelling, check current weather, official advisories and the suitability of activities for your family. Keep an alternative plan.
Sometimes the most memorable part of a trip is the conversation along the way.
Budget outings, hiking, waterfalls, camping or glamping?
An enjoyable outing can begin with packed sandwiches, refillable water bottles and a nearby park. Agree on a spending limit and include transport, parking, entry fees and food.
For hiking, choose a short, established trail suitable for the youngest participant. Check access rules and permits, wear suitable footwear, carry water and turn back when necessary. Encourage children to observe wildlife without disturbing it.
Waterfalls require particular caution. Rain upstream can cause a sudden surge even when the picnic spot is dry. Postpone river and waterfall outings during wet or uncertain conditions and follow official warnings and closures. If water suddenly becomes muddy, carries debris or rises, or a roaring sound develops, leave immediately for higher ground away from the river. NADMA highlights these warning signs.
Camping can teach teamwork through pitching a tent, organising supplies and cleaning the site. Beginners should choose a managed campsite with toilets, emergency arrangements and a suitable location away from riverbanks and unstable slopes. Borrow equipment before buying a full set.
Glamping offers an alternative for families who prefer ready accommodation. Compare the total cost, including meals, extra guests and activities. An attractive tent does not remove weather risks.
For either option, check current METMalaysia warnings and confirm conditions with the operator before departure. Keep an indoor alternative ready.
Children can help pack, calculate costs and collect every piece of rubbish afterwards. Enjoy nature, respect it and leave the place clean.
Make food part of the experience
Food can bring a family together long before everyone sits down to eat.
Let children choose a dish, prepare a list, compare ingredients and help with cooking and cleaning.
A simple family food challenge could be to prepare a meal within a fixed budget. Older children can calculate portions and spending; younger ones can help with suitable tasks.
Grandparents may have recipes and stories worth recording. A teenager could photograph the cooking process and create a small family recipe collection.
At Christmas, families who celebrate can involve children in preparations, hosting and sharing. Families visiting friends can teach their children to ask respectfully about traditions and follow the host’s guidance.
The meal becomes an opportunity to practise gratitude and appreciate the effort behind hospitality.
Plan for working parents too
Many parents cannot take several weeks off because school has closed.
That is a practical reality, not a parenting failure.
Arrange supervision early. Confirm transport, meals, collection times and emergency contacts. Where relatives help, discuss expectations and respect their time.
Older teenagers can have agreed responsibilities and regular check-ins, according to their maturity. Younger children need suitable adult care.
An ordinary weekday can still include a shared breakfast, a short evening walk or cooking dinner together.
Small moments count when they receive our attention.
Give teenagers a voice and boundaries
Teenagers need opportunities to make decisions.
Discuss outings, friendships, spending, transport, check-ins and return times clearly. Explain expectations and listen to concerns.
Agree on screen use together, including time for gaming and social contact alongside sleep, movement, responsibilities and other activities.
Parents should model the habits they request. A family meal feels different when everyone, including the adults, puts their phone aside.
Encourage teenagers to take ownership of something: a creative project, a personal fitness goal, a meal or a family activity.
Responsibility grows through practice and guidance.
Make room for kindness
A holiday can include helping beyond our own household.
Children might assist grandparents, sort usable books for donation or join an appropriately supervised community activity. Check what organisations need before collecting items.
Talk about the people receiving help with dignity. Ask before taking photographs.
Let children discover the satisfaction of being useful without needing public praise.
Prepare gently for the new school year
Do not leave every school purchase and preparation until the final weekend.
Check what still fits and what can be reused. Sort books, prepare supplies and gradually return to the school sleep routine.
Ask children how they feel about the coming year. Are they excited, worried or uncertain? What support would help?
Parents can use the holiday to learn something too, whether a digital skill, a household task or simply how to listen more patiently.
Our children notice how we approach our own growth.
When school reopens, they may have a new skill, a few good memories and greater confidence in doing things for themselves.
They may also remember that we listened, laughed with them and made time within our means.
Plan + Actions = Results.
This holiday, let the results include a closer family, a rested child and the quiet pride of learning something new.
Amarjeet Singh Sran (amarjeetsinghsran5@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
The User Content (as defined on Newswav Terms of Use) above including the views expressed and media (pictures, videos, citations etc) were submitted & posted by the author. Newswav is solely an aggregation platform that hosts the User Content. If you have any questions about the content, copyright or other issues of the work, please contact creator@newswav.com.
