With summertime officially here, children across the country are looking forward to a well-deserved break from education and filling their days with bike rides and family adventures. This downtime is certainly important to help children refuel and relax after a busy school year. However, as the break progresses it is good for you to start reintroducing a bit of mental stimulation and routine into their days with simple, educational fun.
Long breaks from study and school can lead to children needing extra support to get back into their routine and studies. Ensuring they continue with some educational activities over the summer can lead to them feeling equipped, confident and, ready for the new school year, to tackle new topics.
Check out some of the ways you can add educational fun to your summer routine with it being strenuous or obvious…
For more on this topic, check out the full Summer Learning collection
Keep A Diary Of The Summer
Writing free-form will help your children to build vocabulary, develop their thought processes and learn how to articulate their feelings. Have them record everything they have done each day, the people they see, and anything new they have learnt. The diary will also serve as a nice keepsake that is full of memories. And if your kids love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books as much as mine do, they might really get into the idea of journaling throughout the summer!
[ Free Printable: My First Book Review ]
Maintain Good Reading Habits
Your child should ideally maintain their reading habits through the summer. It’s a fantastic activity that helps them relax and grabs their attention. Audiobooks work just as well, so you could think about ordering an audio book subscription for the summer break. It’s good to set some reading goals with your children so they have something to aim for. Maybe they are reading a book that is now a film, you could ask them to read it before they see it. And having family reading time can be a fun way to all get cozy and read your own books together!
[ Read: Create a Book Nook for Kids ]
Write Postcards To Family And Friends
If you are planning on going away, you could encourage your kids to write some postcards. They could then send them to people back home. They get to practice their spelling, grammar, and writing skills while also practicing story telling and capturing memories.
[ Read: Fine Motor Skill Activities for Kids ]
Take Educational Trips
Going to the zoo, on a nature walk, or a trip to a museum are all educational and low-cost ways for children to learn while having fun. Have a look at your local area’s website or utilize your community library to see what’s going on in your area throughout the summer. You can make these trips even more enriching by doing things like a checklist of different animals they need to find or a scavenger hunt through a museum. There are also many virtual tour options now available so that you can explore and learn as a family without leaving home!
[ Read: More Fun Ways to Encourage Summer Learning ]
Let the Kids Practice Budgeting
Without realizing it, we all use math skills on a daily basis to complete small tasks like tell the time or count change. Try encouraging your children to take charge of their own pocket money, let them decide how much they are going to use on the different activities that you have planned.
[ Free Printable: Saving Money Worksheet for Kids ]
Learning is very much like exercise, if you take a break from it it can be more difficult to get back on track. Keep this in mind and keep your children learning and on track with educational fun this summer!
For more on this topic, check out the full Summer Learning collection
