As the formal school year winds down, there are many ways to keep children engaged and on track with their educational needs. It is imperative to keep children in a constant learning environment where they thrive from new experiences, tools, and engaging activities. Life experiences count toward their educational makeup, but there are enrichment activities that you can add to your everyday plans to keep them focused.
Read Daily
Reading helps kids expand their vocabulary, elevate their imagination and learn more than their peers. It is proven that by spending just 20 minutes a day reading, children score 90% higher than their peers on standardized tests. Talk about impressive! Whether you’re reading to them, or they’re reading to you, reading as a family is an intimate way to stay connected to your educational values and help set them up for success prior to the next school year. Pick books that spark their interest and set aside 20 minutes each day strictly for reading.
Get Creative
Work together on new art projects to tap into your child’s creative side. From clay pieces to finger paints there is an activity for all ages within the arts. Children will feel a sense of pride in the pieces they create while also fine-tuning their hand-eye coordination and world interpretation. You can easily tie in other subjects when getting creative by having them paint pictures of animals for science or their favorite sports team to spark conversation about their experiences in gym class.
Write it Down
If your child is just learning to write the famous saying of, “practice makes perfect,” works here. Spend 10-20 minutes a few days a week practicing their letters and numbers penmanship. Once they’ve got that down, move to writing out full words that are familiar to them. For added fun, fill the table (or any other clean surface) with shaving cream and have them practice writing with their finger. There is nothing better than fun in an educational exercise.
Talk it Out
Interested in tapping into your child’s imagination more? Sit together and create a story together that you bounce back and forth off of each other’s thoughts. This is fun at any age. Start the story and then have them elaborate on what they think happens next. Once the story is completed ask them some questions to pick their brain on how they felt about it, what they would change and what their favorite parts of the story were.
The Numbers Never Lie
Making math fun can sometimes be a drag for kids, especially those that struggle to understand complex math equations or formulas. Instead of struggling through the process of keeping them focused on how to solve it, make it relatable. Use every day situations to explain and talk through math problems with them. This will make it easier for them to comprehend which will go a long way in the classroom.
Take it Outside
Science and history are all around us. Plan a day trip somewhere fun to explore the history of your state or the plants and animals native to your area. Maybe they’ve read about the Freedom Trail in class, but never had the chance to see it. Take them there and talk through it. This interactive experience will leave lasting memories for your child to recount and relive for years.
There are many ways that children can learn throughout the summer without formalized plans or bulky textbooks. Learning keeps going at home when you interact with them, read alongside them and take them on educational adventures in your area. Get creative to keep them entertained while also providing them with fun educational experiences they can share with their peers in the upcoming school year.
