What made the summer holidays feel endless when you were a child? Do you think kids today feel the same?

A natural way to answer

Back then, summer felt endless because every day was unstructured and full of possibility. We weren't rushing anywhere. I do wonder whether children now experience that same freedom, since their time tends to be more mapped out than ours ever was.

Key phrases to use

• fill the days with — to use your time doing particular things“We filled the days with games and bike rides.”
• make your own fun — to entertain yourself using imagination rather than ready-made activities“With no toys around, we had to make our own fun.”
• stretch on — (of time) to seem to continue for a long, unhurried period“The afternoon stretched on lazily.”
• map out — to plan something in careful detail in advance“She had her whole career mapped out.”
• dream up — to invent something imaginative, often unusual or unexpected“The kids dreamed up a whole new game.”
• account for — (of time) to be planned, used, or explained, leaving none spare“Every hour of the day was accounted for.”