School Closing Day: Freedom, Reflection and the Child Within

The Long Wait for Freedom

This week, many schools are closing for the second-term break.

For those of us who went through the school system, closing day was almost sacred. It was the day we eagerly anticipated for weeks. Of course, before we got there stood one major obstacle: examinations. And by the way, anyone who genuinely enjoyed exams, kindly see me behind the tents. I need to borrow some of your motivation. But once exams were out of the way, the atmosphere changed entirely.

Closing day meant home clothes. It meant the possibility of pocket money. It meant no lessons. It meant wandering around the school compound for hours with no particular destination, talking with friends, counting down the remaining minutes to freedom.

"Tutafunga na Wewe"

Yet closing day came with its own unique tension. It was often the day of reckoning. Old disagreements and playground conflicts suddenly resurfaced. Phrases like "Tutafunga na wewe" ("We will close with you") would begin to circulate. The moment you heard those words, every instinct sharpened. You became highly observant because the second that final bell rang, your only strategy was simple: run. Fast. Very fast.

I am sure many of us have our own versions of those stories.

What School Holidays Mean Today

Today, however, when I think about school holidays, I see much more than childhood nostalgia.

For many children, closing day means more sleep, more games, more television, and more time with family and friends. For parents, it often brings a noticeable shift in routine. The roads feel lighter. The air carries the feeling of holiday. Homes become noisier and, for many, happier.

Churches, mosques, community organizations, and social groups begin planning programs, camps, mentorship sessions, sports activities, vacation Bible schools and countless opportunities to engage children positively during the break.

But there is another side to the story that we do not always discuss.

When Closing Day Means More Work

For some families, school closing day means it is time to work even harder.

Parents begin calculating how they will raise school fees for the next term. Some children return to their farms, and become a source of free labour. Well, before children knew about their rights, to play harder than they work, we went to the farm, immediately after closing school. But, this was not because we needed to, but because our parents wanted to teach us a sense of responsibility. There are those children, however, who actually get to work, in their farms and neighboring farms to raise finances for their upkeep. Other parents pursue extra jobs, side hustles, or longer working hours. The holiday period becomes a season of financial pressure rather than rest.

While one family is planning a holiday getaway, another is figuring out how to keep children in school for the next term. The same closing bell can sound very different depending on which side of life you find yourself.

For Some Children, School Is Where the Meals Are

For families facing economic hardship, school closure can introduce an entirely different anxiety. At school, a child may have enjoyed consistent meals, routine, structure, and stability. During the holidays, some begin worrying about where the next meal will come from. The hot, fresh meals provided at school are no longer guaranteed.

While some children celebrate the holidays, others quietly wonder how they will get through them. It is a sobering reminder that what seems like a break for one child can feel like uncertainty for another.

For Some Children, School Is Home

Then there are children carrying burdens that cannot be measured financially. For some children, school is more than a place of learning.

It is peace.

It is safety.

It is belonging.

It is the place where friends understand them, where teachers encourage them and where they can temporarily escape difficult realities at home.

Not every home is a sanctuary.

Some children return to conflict, neglect, instability, criticism, or environments where they feel unseen and unheard. For them, school serves as a haven. The closing bell that brings joy to one child may bring anxiety to another.

The Childhood Wounds We Carry Into Adulthood

The older I get, the more I realize that many of the wounds we carry as adults began during our school-going years.

The rejection. The bullying. The comparison. The fear. The absence of affirmation. The silence around painful experiences.

Many of these become what coaches and therapists often refer to as inner child wounds. We grow older, gain responsibilities, attain careers, build businesses and raise families, yet parts of us remain frozen at moments that were never fully healed. The child may have grown up, but some of the pain remained.

What Does This Season Reveal About You?

Perhaps that is why school holidays offer us an unexpected coaching lesson.

As we observe children during this season, we are given an opportunity to reflect on our own journey.

• What did school holidays mean to you?

• What memories still make you smile?

• What memories still make you uncomfortable?

• What experiences shaped the person you are today?

• What healing might still be necessary?

The answers to these questions may reveal more about our present lives than we realize. Often, our reactions, fears, expectations, and patterns have roots in experiences we have never intentionally explored.

Looking Beyond Our Own Homes

As we think about children during this season, perhaps we should also think about the families around us.

How is the next family receiving school closing?

Are they celebrating?

Are they struggling?

Are they worried?

Maybe there is a struggling parent who needs encouragement.

Maybe there is a child who could benefit from spending a few days in a nurturing environment.

Maybe there is a family that would appreciate food support, school supplies, or simply someone who cares enough to ask how they are doing.

Sometimes hope arrives not through grand gestures but through small acts of kindness consistently offered.

Become a Beacon of Hope

This season presents all of us with an opportunity to make a difference.

Give a little more.

Pay attention.

Reach out.

Host where you can.

Encourage where you can.

Listen where you can.

Support where you can.

You may never fully understand the impact of a meal shared, a kind word spoken, a child encouraged, or a struggling family supported. Yet these simple acts often become the memories that sustain people for years.

Rest Intentionally and Care for Your Inner Child

And as you care for others, do not neglect yourself. 

Rest intentionally. Not merely because your employer grants annual leave. Not merely because HR requires you to take leave. But because your mind, heart, and inner child deserve care too.

True rest is not simply stopping work. It is creating space for restoration. It is making room for reflection. It is acknowledging old wounds. It is allowing renewal to happen. It is giving yourself permission to heal.

If part of your journey involves exploring your inner child, processing old wounds, or finding a safe space for meaningful conversations, programs that focus on mindset, restoration and personal growth can be valuable companions on that journey.

At FMSR Strategiq, we believe transformation often begins when people finally give themselves permission to pause, reflect, heal, and grow. Sometimes the most important conversation you will ever have is the one with yourself.

My Closing Day Prayer

As schools close this term, my prayer is simple:

May every child find safety. May every parent find strength. May every struggling family find support. May every weary professional find rest. May every child have enough to eat. May every home experience peace. And may each of us take time to care for the child within while extending compassion to the children around us. 

What does school closing day mean to you today, and how has that meaning changed from when you were a child?

Loice Gichure, NLP Life and Mindset Coach