Summer is here and in full swing! Along with the sunshine comes the challenge of keeping your children active and engaged to retain all they learned during the school year. Often referred to as the Summer slide, experts tell us that students can lose as much as two months of learning when not challenged during the Summer months. The good news is that there is something you can do to help prevent it from happening at all!
Keep your child engaged. Reading every day is crucial to holding on to the incredible progress your child made during the school year. Some schools provide a summer reading list, if not your local library is a fabulous resource to make a reading list that will keep their skills sharp and their imaginations in high gear! Celebrate every time your child finishes a book and have them tell you about what they just read. Explore the themes of the book and ensure that it is a learning experience for all! Set goals and rewards to keep them excited and motivated. Take them for ice cream after the first book, and build up to a bigger adventure once they complete the list! Help them to track their progress with charts or a calendar. Reading can be fascinating, and habit forming, once we instill the passion for books in our children.
Keep the creativity flowing. Look for fun and easy arts and craft projects to keep those creative juices flowing. Plan a visit to the museum; some have programs just for kids. Field trips to the zoo or park are another way to keep kids engaged and learning. Plant a garden, letting your child cook with you will also keep them stimulated. Make sure to include physical activity in their schedule’s as well, and teach them why it is important to their body and their mind. Learning is fun and making it a family affair will also make it memorable.
