How to Make The Most of Summer
School’s out for summer, as the lyric goes. How can you best support your child during these next few months? Even small, daily practices can go a long way in keeping your child’s brain engaged this summer.
Keep Reading!
Pick Books Together. Or better yet, follow your child’s lead.
Your child is more likely to want to read books about subjects they are interested in. Even if the book is slightly above their reading level, books about topics they’d like to learn more about can catch – and keep – their interest. Gardening, cycling, astronomy – if they’re willing to read about it, find ways to support them. Many libraries have both physical and digital books available these days, so you can easily “carry” your books with you wherever you go!
Count every day!
If your child is in the beginning stages of learning numbers and counting, count whatever you can with them. Walking down the boardwalk this summer? Count your steps, or the benches along the way. Count the seagulls or the out-of-state license plates. Is your child adding, subtracting, multiplying, or dividing? Give them simple problems to solve. “If we get two ice cream cones, and then your friends come along and get two more ice cream cones, how many are there in total?” Soon, you’ll all be screaming for ice cream!
Routines can be fun!
Who doesn’t love a good routine? Routines are familiar, and can often be easy, not to mention fun. Some routines revolve around food – like ‘taco Tuesdays’ or ‘pizza Fridays’. Others involve a certain time of day – like brushing your teeth after you wake up or cleaning your room after lunch. Programs like karate, gymnastics, or Kumon can bring fun and discipline into the mix. Twenty to thirty minutes of daily practice with Kumon can not only help improve your child’s academic skills but also make the transition from summer back into the school year much easier.
Unleash their creativity!
Kids love to pretend. They act out being astronauts, firemen, pirates, princesses, etc. They make forts out of blankets and pillows and use empty Amazon boxes as race cars. Asking your child questions can further stimulate not just their creativity but also increase their vocabulary, as they explain what happens next in their make-believe world. Some children may prefer drawing to talking, so pictures and physical mediums such as Play-Doh® and Legos®, can be a great way to tap into your child’s imagination.