Summer break is in full swing. Are your kids bored already?
Once school is out for the summer, we celebrate and rejoice in thinking about two months with no homework! At the same time, I challenge myself to find ways to keep the kids learning and growing to help them prepare for the next school year. If you’re like me, you want to give your kids time to relax, be kids, make a mess, and have fun during the summer. At the same time, you want to make sure your kids don’t succumb to the summer slide and lose skills they’ve developed during the school year. Keep reading for ideas and resources to help you access and organize summer learning resources and activities.
As you think about ways to engage your children in learning this summer, keep in mind these three keys to successful summer learning:
- Variety -- Mix it up with a variety of learning activities to keep the learning fun and engaging.
- Mobility -- If vacations and day trips keep you on the go throughout the summer, you need to keep the learning going in an organized and portable way.
- Personal -- Tap into your kids’ interests to design activities that will appeal to them, and let your kids take the lead by giving them choices.
My eight-year-old daughter and five-year-old son each have a basket filled with resources for summer, organized to make it easy to learn on the go. Here’s a peek at a few items in their baskets:
- Reading folder with summer reading logs from local libraries along with some favorite reading materials
- Clipboard for grab-and-go activities
- Summer brain camp folder with a weekly log and coupons for summer fun
- Coloring book, sketch book, and art supplies
If you’re looking for summer learning activities, below are just a few of the free resources my family will be using this summer:
- Summer reading programs -- read books, participate in crafts, and earn prizes
- Free printable summer brain camp from Imagination Soup
- 30 Day drawing challenge from We Are Teachers
- Summer letter template
- 25 science experiments for kids
- Summer science for kids
- Sight word resources (printables and free app)
- Khan Academy for math practice
- DIY.org for building skills that matter
We’ll also be doing these things on a regular basis to keep summer boredom away:
- Minecraft
- Sidewalk chalk
- Dance party
- Board games
- Create LEGO scenes
- Bake treats for neighbors
- Try a new recipe
- Play dress up
- Make smoothies and popsicles
We’d love to hear about your strategies and resources for summer learning. Leave a comment below!
