Health. School holidays: is it useful to make children work during the summer?

" He will lose all his achievements " Or " The start of the school year will be terribly difficult if he doesn't work on his math or his French during the holidays "...

For some parents, it is impossible to imagine these two months of summer break without these famous holiday workbooks. Child and adolescent psychologist Florence Millot does not necessarily agree.

On break!

" Academically, having a real break is very important for children. It allows them to consolidate their learning. ".

Especially since he also has " need to rest, to be bored, to dream, to meet new friends, to get out of the school environment to perhaps discover a passion or a hobby that he can pursue at the start of the school year " she continues.

Visit, cook, read…

However, for some children, this two-month period can seem very long. In this case, rather than sitting down in front of a notebook, she recommends " a few moments of revision, punctually " but " always in a fun way and disconnected from the school framework ".

Some examples? A visit to a castle or a museum to bring a history lesson to life, cooking a recipe to work on math, doing little quizzes by the beach, or reading a book that the child has chosen themselves, and which corresponds to their world " she illustrates.

Not a second teacher!

For parents or grandparents, “ The main thing is to be creative and flexible. What matters is to offer the child quality time, that is to say a moment of connection, exchange, laughter, discovery. We can invent exercises, draw, leaf through a magazine together, look for information... There are a thousand ways to learn differently ".

The idea being thus " to bring a breath of fresh air from school " and not to position yourself as a second teacher!

15 days before the start of the school year…

Florence Millot adds that a child says " unschooled "can enjoy this vacation time" to develop other forms of intelligence: through music, nature, connection with others…”

Which also allows him to " to recharge one's batteries without realizing it, to strengthen one's self-esteem, and to regain energy to learn afterwards, with a holiday workbook or any other support chosen together ".

About 15 days before the start of the school year and very gradually.

Source : Interview with Florence Millot, July 15, 2025