Unpopular Opinion: Yes, Kids Should Still Study During the School Holidays

girl studying in kitchen with mum during school holidays - Depositphotos

As a teacher, I know this isn’t a popular stance. School holidays are sacred in the eyes of students (and often their parents too). After months of packed timetables, CCAs, and weekly spelling tests, the mid-year break feels like a long-awaited breath of fresh air. A time to relax, sleep in, play, and just ‘be a kid’.

But here’s my unpopular opinion: children should still be studying during the school holidays. Not in a rigid, joyless, timetable-pinned-to-the-fridge kind of way. Not in a boot camp that mimics the very stress we’re trying to give them a break from. But in a balanced, thoughtful, and purposeful way, especially if they’re taking the PSLE this year.

A Gentle Reality Check

Let’s be honest: 13 and 14 August for the PSLE Oral component, 16 September for Listening Comprehension, and the Written Papers from 25 September to 1 October, it’s all closer than we’d like to admit. The school holidays are not just a ‘break’; they’re an opportunity. A chance to catch up, reinforce concepts, and gain confidence without the pressure cooker of daily homework and school bells.

I’ve seen it too many times. Students returning from a totally ‘off’ June break, forgetting key formula, rusty with their reading, or losing stamina for longer comprehension passages. And who can blame them? The brain, like a muscle, weakens without use. But unlike muscles, it’s harder to spot the flabbiness until it shows up in exam results.

That’s why I gently advocate for light-touch studying during the school holidays. Read a book a week. Do a past-year paper every few days. Practise oral with a sibling, parent, or tutor. These don’t have to take more than an hour a day. The rest of the time? Swim, nap, play games, go for walks, binge cartoons. But don’t let studying be completely absent.

The Straits Times reported last year that some students in Singapore have already been shifting toward a more structured approach during the June school holiday break, focusing more on academics than full-on relaxation. It’s a growing reflection of how high-stakes the final stretch before PSLE can feel for many families.

But Balance Remains Key

The idea isn’t to fill every day with worksheets or back-to-back tuition. Children can, and should, rest. They can sleep in, go outdoors, watch their favourite shows, spend time with friends. But we can still weave in short, purposeful learning moments. Even a simple reading habit, a problem-solving activity every other day, or occasional oral practice can help maintain momentum.

What matters most is flexibility, and regularly checking in with the child to see how they’re coping. Are they feeling overwhelmed? Are the goals still working for them? If not, we can always reassess and adjust. No plan should be carved in stone.

For some students, short, structured sessions, such as a 3-hour bootcamp once or twice a week, can sharpen subject-specific skills while introducing strategies for tricky areas like problem-solving, open-ended writing, and oral storytelling. Done well, these sessions are not about drilling, but about building familiarity and confidence.

In fact, I’ve noticed that the students who approach the holidays with this kind of balance often come back more refreshed, not less. Why? Because they return with a quiet confidence that they haven’t fallen behind. Their brains are warmed up, not snoozing. And that makes all the difference, especially in a high-stakes year like P6.

Keep One Eye on The Prize

It’s also telling that tuition centres are seeing a spike in demand for mid-year academic boot camps. Parents are looking to keep their children meaningfully occupied. But meaningful doesn’t have to mean militaristic. A self-directed worksheet here, a reading aloud session there, and yes, maybe a short programme or two if needed, all of these can support, not stifle.

To be clear, I’m not advocating for non-stop drilling or robbing children of their much-needed downtime. I’m saying we can make studying a small but steady thread woven into the weeks of rest.

So yes, let them play. Let them rest. But let’s not lose sight of the academic journey they’re still on. After all, school holidays end. The PSLE doesn’t wait. And when October arrives, those who kept the learning spark alive, gently, consistently, are often the ones who feel most ready to meet it.

This article is contributed by Sandra Lim, an educator with over two decades of teaching experience. As the founder of The Nuggets Academy, Sandra has helped more than 300 students — and counting — develop confidence and competence through engaging, student-centred learning approaches.

All images: Depositphotos

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