As we prepare for Xmas here in the UK, as a parent of a teenager, you are probably thinking ahead to school holidays, a time when you can’t be around due to work commitments. It is prudent to plan ahead and with that in mind, here are a few school summer holiday ideas for your teenage kids.

• Expedition learning tour – There are special student tours in the UK and Europe that are designed around the students, who also help to plan and manage the trip. Of course, it all depends on the kids and their interests; why not sit down together, open your laptop and browse the many trips available and when they find the perfect trip, you can make an early booking; these study tours are very popular.
• Sports boot camp – Usually a couple of weeks when the group play and train and as you would expect in any ‘boot camp’, there is a level of discipline, which is good for the soul; they would have quite a few teams and tournaments are arranged, so everyone has lots of playing time. Sometime sports are integrated with expedition tours, allowing the students to explore new cultures and surroundings. It might be golf that your son is interested in, there are many different sports camps set up, both in the UK and abroad.
• Working holiday – There does come a time when we all have to face employment and why shouldn’t they be allowed to pick fruit for a couple of weeks? Earning money at an early age helps a child to develop responsibility. Of course, this would have to be under the supervision of a study tour operator and the sooner your kids can earn money, the better. These projects do not infringe the law regarding child labour, rather they prepare teenagers about working for a living.
• Exchange Program – How about you letting your son go and stay with an Italian family, while their son comes to live with you. There are cultural exchange programs that are run by regular schools, check with your child’s school to see if they have student exchange programs for the summer break. This is an opportunity for a young person to experience other cultures and see how the people live in other parts of the world. They would likely pick up some of the language, which is always a good thing.

Whatever you decide, make sure you book the trip before Xmas and with everything arranged, your kids can get ready for a holiday like no other.