During the summer vacation, children often only enjoy three minutes of beneficial physical and mental activities arranged by parents. On the contrary, children can play video games for several hours continuously. Parents can learn from video games to decide the content and details of summer activities.
Video games can make people enter a state of mind called “Flow” – full immersion, makes one forget the self, the place, and the time. The reason why video games make people enter the flow is because they have the following characteristics: 1. The need to be attentive (for example, if you are not careful, your fighter plane will be shot down); 2. Clear and specific goals (for example, the short-term goal is to beat the boss); 3. Immediate rewards (for example, when thousands of your troops invade the enemy’s castle, you feel grand, which is a very strong positive emotion); 4. Spontaneous. The desire to play it. The interest in it. (such as piloting fighter planes and maintaining the security of the galaxy); 5. Difficulty just right. With each level, your abilities and confidence will improve, and the difficulty will also increase.
During summer vacation, due to the pandemic, what activities can be done that would easily check the above boxes? I always recommend cooking food. Cooking itself requires attention, has clear and specific goals, and gives immediate rewards. The most common mistake that parents make is to unknowingly smother the fourth point (spontaneity and autonomy) and the fifth point (difficulty). Enthusiastic parents may be too eager to help their children make the best choices, and end up inadvertently imposing their tastes on their children. However, if children only listen to the adults’ commands and do not make the final decision, they will easily feel that they are just taking orders and doing housework. They will not have the sense of ownership, satisfaction, and achievement of “I choose it myself and I can do it myself”. They might even develop a sense of grievance. In short, children should be allowed to act as creatively and boldly as possible in the kitchen. Otherwise, children will return to the online world to find satisfaction and meaning.
As for how to make it neither too difficult nor too easy, you can try to revisit the dishes you have cooked before, and then take in the challenge of new courses. Difficult dishes need higher skills for heat control, more steps, and more detailed craftsmanship. So make the boiled meatballs first, and then try the Beef Wellington fillet. Do what’s easy first and then move on to the difficult.
It is not just cooking activities during the summer vacation. Parents can reference the above five points to arrange engaging and enjoyable extracurricular activities.
Written by: Dr. William Chui
Originally posted on: Health HKEJ
Translated by: Cheuk Long Chan
