Today, I want to share some tips for keeping the learning ongoing during the summertime.
Some of you may be thinking “Hey, it’s summer so let the kids chill!” I agree kids should spend time relaxing and enjoying their summer, but there are ways to keep the learning going without having to make it feel like summer school…
Oh, and before I go on – let me give a big SHOUT OUT and thank you to my friends on Teach Preschool on Facebook. I asked the folks who follow Teach Preschool on Facebook to help me come up with a few ideas and they came up with so many great ideas! After reading all of their amazing suggestions, here are the tips I decided to share…
Tip Number One: Create a bucket list
Yesterday, I shared my niece’s Toddler Fun Bucket but for children who are a bit older, you may wish to create a bucket list. No need for me to write about this because there are already some wonderful articles about creating a bucket list from Living Montessori Now and Little Wonders Days.
I created the summer bucket list form (see above) to share for inspiration!
Tip Number Two: Read, Read, Read
Reading is one of the most important ways to promote learning during the summer. Reading can be done anywhere – anytime. Include favorite children’s books or magazines to read together and invite your child to read environmental print that is around you every day. Environmental print can include the back of a cereal box, a menu, a grocery list, and a recipe.
Learn more ways you can promote reading during the summer with these five simple tips shared on Spin Doctor Parenting: “Help Your Kids Prevent Summer Brain Drain.”
Tips Number Three: Cooking with kids
Cooking is such a wonderful and fun way to promote all kinds of math, science, language, literacy, and daily living skills. Cooking with kids is something I will have to write more about – as the ideas of how children can learn through cooking are abundant! Be sure to have handy a few children’s cookbooks to promote more reading as well. And don’t forget clean-up time – a little time learning to clean up teaches responsibility and a responsible student is a successful student…
Tip Number Four: Board Games
Be sure to introduce your child to a few new board games over the summer. Board games promote strategic thinking, a sense of fairness, playing by the rules, taking a turn, as well as all kinds of core concepts for learning. Sometimes, playing board games with a young child can seem difficult because of that “fairness” or “I want to be the winner” issue. Be patient and keep it fun but remember – the best place for a child to work through some of these issues is in an environment where he or she feels safe and secure…
Tip Number Five: Get Outside and Play
Outdoor play is a critical component to addressing the needs of the whole child – the whole learner. Outdoor play offers many opportunities for exercise, play, and exploring the child’s natural environment. You don’t want to structure every moment of your child’s summer but throwing in a scavenger hunt or a family walk in the park and then journaling about it later is a great way to build memories, get a little exercise, and promote learning. To learn more about the benefits of nature and ways to get children outside, be sure to visit the Children & Nature Network.
More summertime fun
I hope your child’s summer is filled with many wonderful opportunities to learn, play, and relax with the family! For more inspiration, here is one more blog post with summertime ideas from Educational Creativity!
