Updated 6 November 2026.
Direct answer: The December holiday runs from 26 October 2026 to 1 January 2027, about ten weeks, and schools reopen on Monday 4 January 2027. Rest for two weeks, then do 20 to 60 minutes of at-home revision on weekdays for five weeks, keep Christmas light, and prepare for reopening in the last week.
Where you are today: week 2 of the holiday
Learners who are not sitting national exams have been at home since Monday 26 October. If you have not started anything, you have lost nothing. A holiday of this length has room for a proper rest and a steady restart. This plan is for parents of children in Grades 1 to 9. It is a parent-led, at-home revision plan: no classroom, no timetable of full days, and nothing you have to buy.
The weeks below are counted from Monday 26 October, which gives ten full weeks up to the reopening on Monday 4 January. That count is our own, so check your school's circular for your own dates.
The key dates
| What | Date reported |
|---|---|
| Basic education classes close for Term 3 | Friday 23 October 2026 |
| Learners not sitting national exams go home | Monday 26 October 2026 |
| Holiday runs to | Friday 1 January 2027 |
| Classes resume | Monday 4 January 2027 |
| Length | About ten weeks: 26 October to the reopening on 4 January is exactly ten weeks (our count from the dates above) |
Source: K24 Digital, 22 August 2026. Your school's own circular decides the date your child must report.
The holiday in ten weekly blocks
Week by week
Weeks 1 and 2 (26 October to 8 November): rest and reset
Let the child sleep, play and help at home. Read aloud together for 15 to 20 minutes a day. Before week 3, sit down with the Term 3 report and any marked papers and write down three weak spots, such as fractions, composition writing or Kiswahili vocabulary.
Weeks 3 and 4 (9 to 22 November): fix the gaps
Work only on the three weak spots. Use the minutes in the table below, on weekdays, at the same time each day. Mark the work together and let the child explain one answer back to you.
Weeks 5 and 6 (23 November to 6 December): widen
Add the other learning areas: Integrated Science or Environmental Activities, Social Studies and Creative Arts, through reading, short questions and real-life tasks. Keep one day a week for a longer outing or a family job.
Week 7 (7 to 13 December): check
Give one short paper in the learner's weakest learning area and one in English or Mathematics (from your child's own marked papers or an optional revision pack), then mark it together. If the same weak spot appears again, give it extra time in the next block.
Weeks 8 and 9 (14 to 27 December): light
Christmas, travel and visiting come first. Keep to 15 to 20 minutes of reading, a few number games and a diary entry. Rest is part of the plan.
Week 10 (28 December to 3 January): get ready
Move bedtime and wake-up back to school hours, pack the bag, and re-read the child's own notes for a few minutes a day. Check your school's circular for the reporting date.
How much time each day
| Grades | Weekday time (weeks 3 to 7) | What to focus on |
|---|---|---|
| 1 to 3 | 20 to 30 minutes | Reading aloud, counting and number play, short writing |
| 4 to 6 | 30 to 45 minutes | Reading for meaning, Mathematics facts, one short composition a week |
| 7 to 9 | 45 to 60 minutes | English, Kiswahili, Mathematics, Integrated Science, plus the weakest area |
These minutes are our suggestions, not Ministry rules. Shorter is fine. Short, steady sessions are easier to keep up than one long session.
Revision at home, and what the Ministry says about holiday tuition
The Ministry of Education restated its ban on holiday tuition in a circular dated 30 July 2025, issued by Principal Secretary Prof. Julius Bitok. Education News reported that the ban covers both public and private basic education institutions, that any remedial teaching must target specific learners and must not be commercialised, and that the circular cited concern about the financial exploitation of parents. The report also says some schools were reportedly charging parents for unauthorised classes during school breaks. The circular is from 2025, so check your school's current circular. If a school asks you to pay for holiday classes, ask which circular allows it.
Revising with your own child at home is not school tuition. Everything below is private, optional and online or downloadable, and none of it is run by your child's school.
Three optional tools for the plan
- Revision packs for at-home revision. Revision packs are KSh 100 per subject, and a whole-grade bundle is KSh 250 for Grades 1 to 9. You can pay by M-Pesa and receive the pack by email. Each pack has an answer key on a separate page for you to mark with.
- Online lessons at home. The Holiday Learning Academy offers live online lessons for CBC learners in Grades 4 to 10: 4 live lessons a week, 2 hours each, KSh 3,000 a week, paid by M-Pesa. It is optional and separate from your child's school.
- A free AI course. Learners and parents who are complete beginners can try our free, self-paced AI course. The certificate is optional and paid.
Want more detail for your child's grade? See our plans for Grades 1 to 3, Grades 4 and 5, Grade 6, Grades 7 and 8 and Grade 9. Before paying anyone for holiday classes, read our seven questions to ask before you pay.
Frequently asked questions
When do schools reopen after the December 2026 holiday?
K24 Digital reports that classes resume on Monday 4 January 2027. Check your school's circular for the date your child must report.
How long is the December 2026 holiday?
From 26 October 2026 to 1 January 2027, about ten weeks by our count. Use your school's circular for your own dates.
Can my child's school charge for holiday classes?
The Ministry restated its ban on holiday tuition in a circular dated 30 July 2025, as reported by Education News, which says the ban covers public and private schools and that remedial teaching must not be commercialised. If a school asks you to pay, ask which circular allows it. Our options are private, optional and online.
How much revision should a child do each day?
We suggest 20 to 30 minutes in Grades 1 to 3, 30 to 45 minutes in Grades 4 to 6 and 45 to 60 minutes in Grades 7 to 9, on weekdays only, with two rest weeks at the start.
Do I need to buy anything to follow this plan?
No. You need the Term 3 report, your child's own books and a short daily routine. Revision packs and online lessons at home are optional extras.
Sources
- School reopening, Term 3 closing date, national exams and holiday dates parents should know (K24 Digital, 22 Aug 2026)
- MoE cracks down on illegal holiday tuition in schools (Education News, Joseph Mambili, 3 Aug 2025)
- Ministry of Education for official circulars
CBC Edu Kenya reports published statements. Holiday dates can differ by school, so confirm with your child's school circular. Weekly phases and daily minutes are our suggestions.
KJSEA and KPSEA revision courses
The Grade 9 KJSEA course covers all 9 learning areas for KSH 400. The Grade 6 KPSEA course covers all 5 subjects for KSH 300. Notes, worked examples, topical questions and full marking schemes in both.
KSH 300 or KSH 400 · Get it now → 📱 M-Pesa, sent to your email after payment · join parents preparing nowHave a CBC question this article didn't answer?
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