“Help! My Child Has Done Nothing Educational These Holidays.” Teachers Say You Can Stop Feeling Guilty

Finding the right balance with screen time and learning is one of the biggest challenges parents face these holidays, and as the final days begin to disappear, many parents find themselves having exactly the same internal conversation.

As the final days of the school holidays begin to disappear, many parents find themselves having exactly the same internal conversation. The school bags are still tucked away, bedtimes have drifted later than usual and the holiday workbook that seemed like such a good idea a few weeks ago is still sitting unopened on the kitchen bench. Suddenly, a familiar wave of guilt starts creeping in. Should we have done more reading? Have the screens been on for too long? Have they forgotten everything they learnt last term? Have I ruined the holidays by not doing enough educational activities?

If those questions sound familiar, you’re certainly not alone. For many families, the pressure to make school holidays both memorable and educational has never felt greater. Social media is filled with perfectly curated images of science experiments, museum visits, coding workshops and colour-coded activity charts, making it easy to believe that every moment away from school should somehow become another learning opportunity. While those experiences can certainly be valuable, they can also leave parents feeling as though they’re falling behind if their own holidays have been filled with slower mornings, movie nights, backyard adventures and simply enjoying time together. Fortunately, educators say parents can stop worrying.

According to Jacinta Sagona, Parents Segment Manager at Twinkl, a global educational publishing and technology company providing teacher-created, curriculum-aligned resources for educators, parents and learners worldwide, one of the biggest misconceptions families have is believing school holidays should become an extension of the classroom.

“Parents can take a deep breath, children don’t need to spend every day of the school holidays doing worksheets or formal learning to be ready for a new term,” Jacinta explains. “In fact, rest, play and quality time with family are incredibly valuable for children’s wellbeing, confidence and development.”

For many parents, that reassurance is exactly what they need to hear. Children spend ten busy weeks every school term learning new concepts, navigating friendships, completing homework, participating in extracurricular activities and managing the emotional demands that naturally come with school life. Holidays were never designed to become another term of structured learning. They exist to provide children with something equally important: the opportunity to recharge, reconnect with family and rediscover the joy of simply being children.

“School terms are busy, and the holidays provide an important opportunity for children to recharge mentally and emotionally,” Jacinta says. “When children return feeling rested, curious and happy, they’re often in a much better position to engage with learning.”

Perhaps that’s the reminder many of us need. Instead of focusing on everything our children haven’t done over the holidays, maybe it’s time to recognise everything they have done instead. They’ve built cubbies from couch cushions, spent hours creating imaginary worlds with Lego, baked cupcakes, explored local parks, visited grandparents, negotiated the rules of backyard games with siblings and friends, laughed through family movie nights and asked hundreds of wonderfully curious questions about the world around them. None of those moments may have looked like formal learning. That doesn’t mean learning wasn’t happening.

Why Play Is One of Childhood’s Most Powerful Teachers

As adults, it’s easy to underestimate the value of play because it rarely looks productive. Children don’t come home with worksheets to pin on the fridge or certificates celebrating a successful afternoon building blanket forts. Yet educators have long understood that unstructured play is one of the most powerful ways children develop the skills they’ll continue using throughout their lives.

Jacinta says parents often underestimate what children are actually learning when they’re simply given the freedom to explore. “When children have the time and space to explore, create and use their imagination, they’re developing important skills like problem-solving, creativity, resilience and self-regulation,” she explains.

It’s something every parent has witnessed without necessarily recognising it as learning. A cardboard box becomes a pirate ship. Lounge room cushions transform into an obstacle course. Toy animals inspire elaborate stories that stretch across an entire afternoon. What appears to be “just playing” is actually encouraging children to plan, negotiate, solve problems, communicate ideas and think creatively. These are the very same skills they’ll continue drawing upon inside the classroom, even though they were developed far away from a school desk.

Jacinta also encourages parents not to rush in every time children announce they’re bored. “Children might initially say, ‘I’m bored’ but giving them space to work through that boredom is often where creativity begins.”

For parents, that can be one of the hardest lessons of all. We naturally want to fill every quiet moment with activities, outings or entertainment. Yet boredom often becomes the starting point for imagination, encouraging children to create games, invent stories and solve problems independently rather than waiting for someone else to provide the answer. Rather than seeing those quieter moments as missed learning opportunities, they may actually be some of the most valuable experiences children have all holiday.

Learning Happens Long Before Children Sit at a Desk

One of the biggest misconceptions many parents have is believing learning only counts when it looks like school. If children haven’t completed worksheets, practised handwriting or worked through maths problems, it’s easy to assume they’ve somehow fallen behind. Yet educators know that some of the richest learning experiences happen away from a classroom and often in moments children simply see as fun.

Think about everything your family may have done over the holidays. Perhaps your children helped bake muffins, measured ingredients and doubled a recipe. Maybe they spent time at the beach searching for shells, built an epic Lego city across the lounge room floor or challenged the family to a board game after dinner. Even a trip to the supermarket can become an opportunity to compare prices, estimate totals, read shopping lists and make decisions. According to Jacinta, these everyday experiences build exactly the kinds of skills children continue using once they return to school. Learning happens everywhere, not just at a school desk. Everyday experiences naturally build the skills children use in the classroom.”

She explains that something as simple as preparing dinner together becomes an opportunity to develop literacy and numeracy without children even recognising they’re learning.

“Cooking together develops maths skills through measuring and fractions while also encouraging reading and following instructions. Family board games strengthen problem-solving, strategic thinking and communication. Visiting the library nurtures a love of reading, while trips to museums, parks or local attractions spark curiosity and build general knowledge.”

Perhaps that’s one of the most reassuring messages for parents. The conversations you’ve had around the dinner table, the walks through your local bushland, the afternoons building sandcastles and the countless questions your children have asked about the world haven’t interrupted learning. They’ve simply supported it in a different way.

Jacinta believes these authentic experiences often leave a far greater impression than structured revision because children are actively participating rather than simply completing an activity. “Children often learn best when they don’t realise they’re learning. Authentic experiences help them transfer skills into real life, making learning more meaningful than isolated practice.”

When children see maths helping them bake biscuits, reading helping them follow a recipe or science explaining why waves crash onto the shore, learning suddenly becomes something practical rather than something confined to a classroom.

Finding the Right Balance With Screen Time and Learning

Few parenting topics generate more debate than screen time, particularly during school holidays. It’s easy to feel guilty when the television stays on a little longer than usual or children spend an afternoon playing games or chatting with friends online. After all, holidays rarely follow the same routines that exist during the school term, and sometimes parents simply need an hour to catch up on work, unpack the groceries or enjoy a hot cup of tea while it’s still warm.

Rather than viewing screen time as something that is either completely good or completely bad, Jacinta says balance with screen time and learning is what most families are really after. “Screen time doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Like many things, it’s about balance.”

That perspective is refreshing because it reflects the reality most families experience. Technology is part of everyday life, and trying to eliminate it entirely often creates more stress than benefit. Instead, the goal becomes creating a healthy mix of experiences across the holidays. For families already using devices, there are also simple ways to make that time more purposeful, striking a better balance with screen time and learning without turning it into another lesson.

“There’s nothing wrong with children enjoying movies, games or connecting with friends online during the holidays,” Jacinta explains. “Parents can aim for a healthy mix of entertainment, outdoor play, creativity and opportunities for learning.” For families already using devices, there are also simple ways to make that time more purposeful without turning it into another lesson.

“If children are already spending time on a device, choosing high-quality interactive learning experiences, such as curriculum-aligned games, videos and audiobooks, can help make screen time both enjoyable and educational without making the holidays feel like school.”

Ultimately, it’s another reminder that parenting isn’t about perfection. It’s about making thoughtful choices most of the time while recognising that flexibility is part of family life too.

As the holidays draw to a close, many parents begin wondering how to shift from holiday mode back into school routines without tears, battles or unnecessary pressure. The good news is that teachers aren’t expecting children to arrive back on the first day having completed hours of extra learning. In fact, their advice is often far simpler and far more achievable than many parents imagine.

How to Gently Reset Before Term 3

As the first day of school gets closer, many parents feel the pressure to squeeze in as much learning as possible. The temptation is understandable, particularly if the holidays have been wonderfully relaxed, but educators say there is no need to suddenly introduce hours of revision or try to recreate the classroom at home. Instead, Jacinta recommends focusing on helping children ease back into familiar routines so the transition feels calm rather than overwhelming.

“The last few days of the holidays are a great time to gently ease back into school routines, without creating pressure,” she explains. Rather than making dramatic changes overnight, small adjustments often have the biggest impact. Gradually bringing bedtime and wake-up times closer to the normal school schedule gives children’s bodies time to adjust. Reading together for ten or fifteen minutes each evening helps re-establish a familiar habit while also creating valuable opportunities to reconnect before the busyness of the school term returns.

Simple practical tasks can also help children feel prepared and reduce first-day nerves.

“Parents might start bringing bedtimes and wake-up times closer to the school schedule, encourage 10–15 minutes of reading together each day, and chat about what children are looking forward to in the new term. Simple preparation, like packing school bags, checking uniforms and organising lunches, can also help reduce first-day nerves and make the transition feel calmer.”

If parents feel their child would benefit from a gentle academic refresh, Jacinta encourages keeping it light and enjoyable rather than turning it into another day at school.

“If children would benefit from a little academic refresh, short and fun activities like puzzles, reading together or quick maths games can help rebuild confidence without feeling overwhelming.”

She adds that teacher-created resources can also support children during this transition when they’re used in moderation. Resources from Twinkl, which are used by more than 65% of teachers across Australia and developed in collaboration with qualified teachers and education specialists, can support this process by providing engaging, curriculum-aligned activities that make learning feel both fun and purposeful.”

So, What Do Teachers Actually Want Parents to Do?

Perhaps the most reassuring advice of all is that teachers are not expecting children to return having completed pages of worksheets or mastered next term’s curriculum before school even begins.

Instead, they simply want children to arrive feeling rested, emotionally settled and ready to learn. “Teachers generally aren’t expecting children to return having completed hours of extra learning over the holidays. What they value most is that children come back rested, emotionally ready to learn and feeling positive about returning to school.”

That perspective shifts the focus from academic achievement to wellbeing, recognising that children learn best when they feel safe, confident and supported.

Jacinta believes the simplest things often make the greatest difference. “Reading together, talking about everyday experiences, encouraging curiosity and maintaining gentle routines are often far more beneficial than trying to recreate the classroom at home.”

Her final message is one every parent should remember before Term 3 begins. “The best preparation for a successful term isn’t perfection, it’s helping children feel confident, supported and ready to learn. Small, consistent moments of learning through everyday life can have a lasting impact, while still allowing children to enjoy the break they deserve.”

The Parenthood360 Take

If there’s one thing we’d love parents to take away from this conversation, it’s this: you haven’t failed because your child spent the holidays being a child. The memories they’ve created, the conversations you’ve shared, the games you’ve played and the adventures you’ve had together all matter. Learning isn’t confined to a classroom, and getting the balance with screen time and learning right matters far more than eliminating screens altogether.

As another school term begins, resist the temptation to measure the holidays by the number of worksheets completed. Instead, celebrate the confidence your child has built, the questions they’ve asked, the imagination they’ve explored and the time you’ve spent together as a family.

Sometimes the most valuable preparation for school isn’t another lesson. t’s simply returning with a full heart, a curious mind and the confidence that comes from knowing home is a place where learning happens every single day.

Learn More

For parents looking for teacher-created, curriculum-aligned activities, reading resources and practical ideas to support children throughout the school year, explore the range of resources available at Twinkl Australia.

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