Summer vacation season is eagerly awaited not only by school-aged children but also by us adults. It is an excellent opportunity to take a break from the fatigue and, to some extent, the stress of the school year. However, with the start of the summer vacation, parents face another important issue: organizing their children’s free time effectively during the three-month vacation.

Consider the numbers. In the summer of 2023, a total of 196 stationary children’s health camps were established in our country to strengthen and restore children’s health and develop their creative potential during the holidays. These camps provided recreation for 158,000 children. In the current season, 157,960 children are planned to rest in 192 camps. In addition, 1,105 day camps aim to attract more than 174,200 children. However, the number of children aged 7-14 in our country is 4,668,779. This is where the problem arises. As we can see, the number of children directed to camps does not even reach ten percent of the total number of students. So what about the children who do not go to camps? What kind of meaning and significance does the summer vacation hold for them?

The truth is that over the years, the number of children’s health camps in our country has not increased proportionally to the population growth. While the number of children has increased by 71% compared to 1991, the number of health camps has halved.

Unlike rural areas, in urban settings, children who do not attend camps often spend the three-month vacation attending sports schools, tutoring, educational courses, or vocational training centers. This has become one of the traditions characteristic of an urbanized environment. To ensure that the child does not remain idle, we direct their physical and mental potential to studying or sports during the vacation, with the good intention of developing them. We spare no expense. But have you ever considered how correct and effective this approach is? Most importantly, does it align with our child’s wishes and interests?

It is clear that the summer vacation should not be detrimental to the child. Psychologists emphasize that, just like adults, children can experience psychological strain if they do not change their routine activities. Taking a proper break during vacations and then resuming studies is beneficial not only for physical health but also for the level of knowledge assimilation. “Moreover, vacation is necessary to strengthen mutual relationships among siblings. Because during regular school time, children have little opportunity to spend time together. Therefore, vacation is the most suitable time for family closeness,” they say.

Typically, the choice of when and which camp to attend during the summer season is considered a personal decision of the parents and the child. According to the established procedure, the child can be sent to a camp through a voucher provided by the trade union section of the organization where the parent works. If the organization where the parent works is not a member of the Trade Union Federation, then a full-priced voucher must be purchased by contacting the initial trade union section of the chosen camp organization. By the way, there are also electronic pages of summer camps available nowadays, and it is possible to purchase vouchers online by visiting these pages on the Internet.

For the summer vacation of 2024, we reviewed the prices of well-known children’s camps in our country on the oromgohlar.uz website, and found that a season’s voucher (10-12 days) ranges from 1,400,000 to 3,200,000 soums. At first glance, this amount does not seem too expensive. However, for an average and large family, it is not cheap either, especially in rural areas.

Farida MAHKAMOVA