Learning for your child will (and should) look different during the summer months. The routine of school has changed to something more relaxed and less time intensive, but there are ways to ensure that learning is still occurring. Here are a few quick tips.
Follow your Child’s Curiosities Instead of Using Textbooks
It sounds simple, but it’s too easy for us to pull out a textbook or download an app that offers math, reading, and science drills. Those tools can be useful, but the best way to promote learning during summer could be to notice what your child is most interested in and build out learning from there.
Is your child always grabbing sticks to stack? Get them some Legos and present them with some challenging structures to build. Take them to a museum with exhibits on physics. Those activities can deeply engage a child and naturally lead to growth in skills in which they are already keen to know more.
Establish a Schedule, but Keep it “Light”
School is regimented for an entire day from morning to afternoon, and that routine absolutely has its place. Instead period bells, marches from one subject to the next, or specific learning activities planned weeks in advance, use flexible routine.
Give students a few touchstones throughout the day of week. For instance, establishing a 15-30 minute reading time every day can help kids develop a love for reading without overwhelming them (and make sure to read books they are naturally drawn to).
Try to make certain days of the week feature routine events full of novel activities. Mondays may always involve a library trip with different activities upon arrival. Tuesday could be a day where you do a random science experiment; an internet search of grade level and desired length of experiment provides many options. Wednesdays can always feature your child cooking dinner. Thursdays can be dedicated to arts, crafts, and building. Fridays can involve trips that foster your child’s natural interests.
Apply Knowledge in Real-life Opportunities as they arise
Invite your child to bring the skills they have learned in the past year to the table! Bring them shopping and ask them to help calculate the bill you can even give them some kind of reward if they are correct. Employ their knowledge of fractions and division when friends are over and snacks get split up.
Ask them to help you define tricky words as you encounter them. Have them explain things like the water cycle to grandparents when they are visiting.
Learning does not need a minute by minute structure in order to be effective!
