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Summer
Learning Tips
It
comes up faster than you remember as a kid: summer vacation. Seems the older
you get, the shorter the school year gets. (Remember when summer didn’t come
quickly enough?)
So
now that you’re staring at the “lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer,” what now?
Many kids would like nothing more than a TV and a full refrigerator. But you
know that they need more stimulation than that.
Did
you know the average student loses about one month's worth of learning in
math, spelling and reading over the summer? Parents can help prevent this
loss and save hours of back-to-school review.
Your
children’s teachers would like you to know that reading, math, and science
skills slip during the summer if they don’t get exercised. Some schools have
tried to fix that problem by going to year-round schedules. Since that hasn’t
been as successful as some would like, schools look for other ways to
stimulate children’s minds during the summer. Some offer summer school with
fun activities designed to keep math, science or other skills fresh in their
minds. Others sponsor summer reading contests. Check with your school to see
what is offered in your area for the summer.
Check
out the articles about travelling with older
children, including grandparents
taking a grandchild on a summer adventure.
Here
are some other ideas for you and your children to have a fun, stimulating
summer.
- Read. Let your child see you spend time reading, and make sure to set
aside time each day for reading. Some parents attach an incentive to
reading time: for every 30 minutes they read, they get another 30
minutes of TV time.
- Visit the library often. Sign up for summer reading programs. Find
the stacks of children’s magazines and take some home for fun reading
times.
- Art Projects. Save up loose change and head to the craft
store to find an inexpensive project to do together. It might involve
counting and sorting, or mixing ingredients to make paint or clay.
- Word games. Grocery stores and discount stores have inexpensive puzzle
books with crosswords and word search puzzles. Sit down together and
solve a puzzle!
- Plan a vacation together. Visit the library or go online together to
find out all you can about the place you plan to visit this summer.
Read maps and guidebooks. List the places you want to see along the
way. Plan a budget for the trip as well. A fifth- or sixth-grade child
can even help calculate gas mileage every time you fill the tank!
- Make a scrapbook of photos and mementos of
your summer trip. Have your
child write out captions below each item.
- Write a family newsletter and produce it on the computer.
- Make cookies together. Have your child read the directions to you.
Let him measure the ingredients. For a challenge, double the recipe and
have him figure out the new measurements!
- Make a list of regular summer jobs. Doing household chores provide important
life skills and teach responsibility.
- Plant a garden. If you don’t have much room, plant a couple
of flowers in pots. Give your child some responsibility for these
growing plants, like watering and weeding.
- Save up loose change and decide whether to
get a hamster or goldfish.
Have your children write up an agreement about taking care of the
animal, cleaning its cage or tank, feeding, etc.
- Find a summer school class nearby where your
child can have fun AND focus on skills that need reinforcing.
- Summer camps, church Bible schools, and
library reading clubs will teach valuable skills and lessons. Sign your
child up!
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