Students going home during the school holiday. Parents have a variety of activities to choose from to keep their children busy while they are at home.
School-going children will spend a minimum of 75 days at home on holiday, and that offers opportunities and challenges to parents.
Visits to relatives, helping with chores and plenty of play time are some of the plans parents have for their young ones.
Scouring through posters placed online, we found some activities that parents can pay for to get extra skills for their children.
In Ngong, Kajiado County, the Better Life Chapel is offering keyboard, guitar and drum-set playing lessons.
In Machakos, Fanaka Talent Hub will be holding piano and guitar classes starting from November 2. The fee is Sh8,500.
In Kitengela, Kajiado County, Talents Sound Music Centre is offering vocal coaching and piano, guitar, saxophone, brass and violin playing lessons.
From November 11 to December 11, the Alliance Française in Nairobi will host a French language workshop for teenagers, and the fee is Sh23,150.
At the Wilson Airport in Nairobi, the Proactive Flight Training School will be conducting a programme from November 5 to December 15 to give learners a real flight experience..
At the same airport, the Pilot Training Centre will be holding a junior pilot prep academy in November and December.
In Nairobi and Nakuru, the Pankradeh DJ Academy will be teaching mixing, scratching, mic control, and event performance.
The EM Africa Academy, which has a presence in Nairobi, Nyali, Diani, Nakuru and Malindi, is offering ballet and dance lessons and modelling. They charge Sh5,000 per learner for a month.
In Kantafu in Nairobi, the Ardent Schools for Autism Education are conducting speech therapy lessons from October 27 to mid-December.
In Dagoretti, Nairobi the Royal Queens Soccer Academy will be offering professional coaching and conditional training for girls aged seven to 15.
In Utawala, still in Nairobi, the Zebra Academy will be running a football academy for children of up to 17 years old. It charges Sh500 per session per child.
In Kasarani, the Sportsview Hotel will host a football academy from October 28-December 6 for children aged between six and 17. Registration is Sh5,000, and each session will cost Sh200.
Children playing outdoors.
In Kajiado County, the Mashuuru Sports Foundation will be holding a holiday camp between December 7 and 12 that will entail elite football and basketball training. The bill is Sh25,000 per child.
In Nairobi, the Trailblazers Elite Academy will be teaching volleyball drills, gym sessions, mobility, swimming, and dance between October 27 and December 19 for children above six years of age.
The English Learning Community in Nairobi is offering virtual classes for Form Two and Form Three learners in mathematics, English, physics, chemistry and biology. This will run from November 3 to December 5 at Sh800 per learner per week.
Also in Nairobi, the Jolearn Training College is running a tuition programme focusing on mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, English and Kiswahili. The classes, which will run between November 3 and 28, will be both physical and online.
In Nairobi, Victors Assembly Church is organising an initiation camp for boys aged 12 to 14 between December 1 and 11. Registration is Sh500. The programme will cost Sh12,500, which will cover initiation, accommodation and mentorship.
Elsewhere, the Anglican Diocese of Meru will hold two rite-of-passage sessions for boys (November 10-19 and November 24 to December 3). It will cost Sh8,000 per boy.
In Ongata Rongai, Kidpalace Schools are also organising an initiation camp for boys between November 9 and 22 for Sh12,500.
In Ruai, Nairobi, the PCEA Canaan Church is organising an initiation for boys from November 12 to 22. The fee is Sh14,000.
In Ngong, Kajiado County, the Kenswed Technical and Vocational Training College will be running a coding boot camp to teach children how to write computer programmes. The training will run from November 3 to December 5 at Sh2,500 per child.
In Ruiru, Kiambu County, Edycate Cake House and Hospitality College will host a training programme from November 3. It will cost Sh10,000 per child.
Academic mentor, Mr Sam Vidambu, told Sunday Nation that the training is okay, so long as it aligns with a child’s talent.
“Before you take your child to any activity this holiday, ensure that you know what the child wants to become,” he said.
Mr Vidambu said parents should follow the 10-8-6 system, that is: 10 hours of sleep, eight hours of constructive things and six hours of studying.
“Constructive things include helping parents and even watching educative TV shows,” he said.
Mr Amos Muiruri, a father of two, said that once his younger daughter finishes her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations, he will let her rest for a week before taking her on vacation for a day or two.
“I plan to spend Sh10,000 on that, just to congratulate her. After that, I will enrol her in a beauty parlour to learn some skills that she can earn her extra cash while in campus, ” he said.
In Mombasa, Ms Ann Muthoni, a mother of two, said that she has planned low-budget activities to bond with her children.
In Kilifi, Ms Christine Wambua said her two daughters will rest for a week. Thereafter, she has plans for them to do school work in the mornings and help her in the shop in the afternoons. They will also have Bible studies, visit their aunt and go to the beach.
What other parents will be spending on
Nairobi: Amos Muiruri, a father of two, says that once his younger daughter finishes her Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations, he will let her rest for a week before taking her on a one- to two-day vacation.
“I plan to spend Sh10,000 on that, just to congratulate her,” he shares. After the mini-vacation, Amos, says he will enrol his daughter in a beauty parlour.
“This will take her like two months in my friend’s parlour and I will pay Sh12,000. I think that if she is a nail artist and beautician, she can be busy and make some extra cash when she joins campus.”
Amos also plans to enrol her for computer and driving lessons, which will cost him Sh25,000.
Students walk on the streets of Nakuru city on their way home.
Mombasa: Ann Muthoni, a mother of two, with one in their teens (boy) and one in playgroup (girl), says that during this holiday, she wants to be more involved in her children’s lives.
Regarding her teenage son, she says: “I am looking for low-budget activities like the church activities that include counselling sessions, watching movies that impart positive lessons, and going to the public beach and watch him swim.”
For the younger child, she intends to encourage painting and allow plenty of playtime with friends.
“I also want to impart values like not eating foods handed by strangers so that she is not easily preyed on,” she says.
Kilifi: Christine Wambua, a mother of two from Kilifi, plans to let her daughters rest for a week before easing them into a routine.
She has drafted a schedule with homework in the mornings while in the afternoons, they will be helping her at her shop. Since the festive season is peak time for her business, her daughters will mostly help with sales.
“On some days, they will go to church to attend praise-and-worship meetings, cleaning of the sanctuary, or Bible study,” she adds.
To break the monotony, she intends to take them to visit their aunt. Around mid-December, she will give them a special day-out at the beach.
“I plan on incurring Sh5,000 for transport, food and activities on beach,” she says.
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