School holidays offer what the school year rarely does: time, less pressure and the freedom to learn for pleasure. They are an ideal moment to learn English or polish it, as long as you keep a light routine and focus on practice.
Why the holidays are the right time
During the school year, English is one subject among many, with tests and lists to study. During the holidays, it becomes a language again: you listen to it, speak it and use it to do something you enjoy.
In Belgium, the school year includes several breaks (autumn, Christmas, February and spring) as well as the summer holidays. Each one is a chance to move forward at your own pace, without waiting for a stay abroad.
The principle is simple: learn what you want rather than what you have to. Motivation changes, and English picked up this way often sticks better.
Setting a concrete goal
A precise goal gives your holidays a direction. It can vary a lot depending on age and situation:
- a trip planned this summer: a few weeks of preparation to get by on site, then the trip itself to practise;
- starting secondary school, or an upcoming exam such as the CE1D in English (the external exam at the end of the second year of secondary school in French-speaking Belgium): strengthening the basics without waiting;
- higher education in English or abroad: raising your level, especially speaking and reading long texts;
- a professional need for an adult: gaining confidence in meetings, on the phone or in writing.
A modest goal you stick to is better than an ambitious plan dropped after three days. For a two-week break, “watching a film in English without French subtitles” or “holding a ten-minute conversation” are good milestones.
A new rhythm, without turning everything upside down
The holidays are also for resting. There is no point recreating a school day: short, regular sessions work better than long, occasional ones.
- 20 to 30 minutes a day, at a set time (after breakfast, before dinner);
- one day a week without English, to keep the motivation alive;
- a quick review at the end of the week: what you understand better, what is still difficult.
For a primary school child, a few minutes of games or songs are enough. A student preparing to leave for studies abroad can plan more intensive periods.
Bringing English into everyday life
The most effective way to progress is to surround yourself with the language. A few habits that are easy to adopt during the holidays:
- switching your phone or games console to English;
- watching series and films in the original version, first with English subtitles, then without;
- listening to podcasts or songs, and looking up the lyrics;
- reading in English: comics, graded readers for beginners, articles on a topic you love.
An activity in English: a double win
A particularly useful tip for the holidays: discover a new activity in English. Following a recipe, or a drawing, DIY or gardening tutorial in English teaches vocabulary and expressions in context.
You remember a word better when you have used it to do something. And the activity itself remains a good holiday memory.
Daring to speak
Many pupils are more comfortable writing than speaking. When writing, they have time to build their sentences. When speaking, they hesitate, search for words and fall back on French sentence patterns translated word for word.
This difficulty often comes from a lack of confidence rather than a lack of knowledge. The holidays are a chance to practise with nothing at stake and no marks:
- speaking English at the dinner table one evening a week, as a family;
- describing your day out loud, or recording yourself;
- chatting with English-speaking friends or cousins, or with a coach.
Thinking directly in English
Translating every sentence from French slows you down and leads to mistakes. Simple sentences, formed directly in English, are better: little by little they become reflexes. Complexity will come later.
Less learning “by heart”
Lists of vocabulary and irregular verbs have their uses, but learned on their own, they make English slow and tedious. During the holidays, put them back in context:
- using each new word in a sentence about yourself;
- spotting irregular verbs in a series or a song;
- reviewing in small doses, a few days apart, rather than all at once.
Memorising is still necessary, especially before an exam. It is simply that vocabulary used when speaking and in real situations stays anchored for longer.
A tailored programme with a coach
Some people learn on their own without difficulty. Others progress faster with someone who sets the course, corrects them and gets them talking. Support during the holidays works well when there are gaps to fill before the new school year, a resit exam, or a specific project.
At My Sherpa, an educational advisor chooses the coach according to age, level and goal. Lessons take place at home anywhere in Belgium, or online. Our formats adapt to every level:
- for children: private English lessons in primary school ;
- for teenagers: private English lessons in secondary school ;
- for students: private English lessons in higher education ;
- for adults and professionals: English lessons.
A few sessions during the holidays are often enough to restore confidence in speaking and to leave with a work plan for what comes next.
