There was a time when summer vacation just meant throwing away the books and uniforms and roaming free in the open areas, jumping into ponds of dirty water, pushing old cycle tyres with a stick, and stealing mangoes from orchards.  Now children, who eagerly look forward to the holidays, start getting bored 72 hours after the holidays actually start.

Parents are in a dilemma whether to allow their children to sit the whole day in front of the TV and computer, or to drag them from one coaching camp to another.  Actually summer vacation can be used to combine fun with some awakening on what future the child is going to make for himself.  To start with, parent and child can team up and explore the multiple intelligences that were propounded by Howard Gardner in the eighties, and which might actually help a person make a lucrative career.  These are:

*Mathe-logical i.e. being able to use logic and calculations smoothly.

*Linguistic: ability to use words properly, and clearly convey one’s thoughts and feelings.

*Spatial: good understanding of space, colours, three-dimensions, estimation, proper judgment of distances or speed, creative visualisation.

*Rhythmic: ability to use the flow of music or rhythm in a smooth way, bringing harmony into actions and routine, skill of humming along, not being disturbed by distractions

*Intra-personal, the capacity to understand oneself, to know one’s strengths and weaknesses, to avoid confusion, depression or losing temper.

*Inter-personal, the ability to interact with and get along harmoniously with different types of people in varying circumstances and situations.

*Ecological: the skill of balancing oneself with one’s environment, surrounding and nature, the ability to seek a path of least resistance and adapting oneself to varied ambience.

This is the time when there is no pressure of studies, and children are in a mood to explore, seek variety, and take up something challenging beyond the routine. Understanding their potential and the multiple intelligences through fun and games can serve a very useful purpose.  Think up ways and means to make the activity fun, give points or rewards for any intelligence or skill the child exhibits, have group activities to sharpen these skills – and make a note of each child’s abilities – which can then be a useful tool to make career choices.