How to Help Your Children Stay Academically Sharp During the Summer
The summer months are a time of freedom for school age children. Many parents and educators look for fun ways to help their kids retain the information they learn throughout the school year. Keeping the information fresh in their minds through the summer months can be taxing, but it can be done. It can also be fun!
Inspire Creativity
Encourage your children to create something. Provide them with clay, colored pencils, paper and any other materials they need to create something useful and beautiful. Guide them in creating something they can use either at school or home.
Keep a Journal
One of the best ways to keep grammar and composition lessons fresh in your children’s minds is to encourage them to keep a journal. Sketching and writing about events that have happened throughout the summer is a good way to keep their writing skills on point and gives them an opportunity to practice good grammar and composition techniques.
Spend Time in Nature
Make frequent trips to nature preserves and recreational parks. Allow your children to hike, swim and investigate the world around them. Collect rocks, leaves and seeds and help them to identify different animals, trees, and locations.
Build/Make Something
Show children how to build a bird house or flower box. Both girls and boys can enjoy learning how to cook, and using the measuring spoons and cups will keep their math skills sharp. Allow children access to tools to perform different types of activities. If you are going to fix something, let the kids help.
Include the Arts
Above all, include the arts. Expose your children to various art mediums, and play different genres of music throughout the day. Play games that involve naming a song or the artist who plays it.
The key to retaining information from one school year to the next is to keep the brain activity and the senses sharp. Learning does not have to be boring. There are several activities parents can include in their child’s day-to-day routine that will help them use the information they have learned so that it won’t be wasted during the long, hot days of summer.