Now that the school year has come to an end, and summer vacation is upon us, you may be wondering how you can ensure your child does not lose everything they learned over the past year. Just because school is out, it does not mean that learning should stop. Summer is the best time for students to strengthen their academic skills whilst still having fun.

Here are some strategies and suggestions of fun activities to ensure your child is still learning throughout the summer months:

Dedicate time for learning

Set aside some time in the day for learning. Ideally, you will arrange this time slot with your child. For example, you can set aside time in the morning or section off learning blocks throughout the day. As a result, your child will have a wide array of activities to broaden their knowledge. These activities could include a trip to the public library or bookstore where they can check out books of interest or join any summer reading groups. They can even work on math puzzles, spelling worksheets, and even DIY science projects. If your child is enrolled in summer classes, this dedicated time slot will be the perfect time for them to work on their homework. 

Encourage your child to write

It’s important for your child to continue writing during the summer. Their writing tasks do not have to be long. They could write a review on their favourite TV show or movie. They can even build up on their writing skills by journaling daily. Journaling at least 3-5 times a week, if not daily, will exercise their critical thinking and creative mind as well. 

If your child needs more guidance on what to write, we’ve put together daily writing prompts to make it easier for them. Just click on the images below to access the printable PDFs.

Incorporate reading time as a family activity

Reading inspires students to write and, therefore, broaden their creativity. To help your child do this, have them pick out books from the library and then read chapters with them daily. This will allow them to improve on their cognitive skills. When the whole family spends time reading together, younger students will see it as a fun family activity instead of a chore.

Have fun with Summer Reading Bingo

Summer Reading Bingo is a fun activity and will motivate your child to increase their knowledge and build their vocabulary. Start by creating ‘Bingo’ sheets with different reading goals on each of the spots. Here are examples of a few goals: sounding out difficult words, writing a sentence for every new word they find, reading for at least 15 minutes, completing a book, summarizing the main plot, writing a book review. Once your child completes a goal, cross it off the sheet. When they finish the ‘Bingo’ sheet, reward them with a prize.

Do a word hunt

Start by creating a word list, writing each of the words on a sticky note. Hide each sticky note somewhere in the house. Help your child use the world list as a word search as they try to find as many words as they can throughout the house. Once they find a word, have them read it out loud. To advance their skills, have them create a sentence with the word they find.

Create a Sidewalk Word Ladder

A Sidewalk Word Ladder will help your child practice reading and spelling whilst having fun outside. Draw a ladder with chalk on the walkway and write out a word on each empty space of the ladder. Have your child start at the bottom. As they move up the ladder, have them sound out the word before they move onto the next one.

Improve their Math skills with arts and crafts

Many children dislike math, but what better way to have them enjoy it than with arts and crafts. If your child is working on numbers, try this fun “ice cream cone” activity. Cut numbered papers into triangles. Grab some small pom poms and have your child add pom poms to the corresponding paper triangles or “ice cream cone”. Once they get the hang of it, you will see them beam with pride.

So, there you have it – a few fun activities to make sure your child is learning during the summer. Remember, summer learning can be fun and can also be an easy way to help your child get ahead for the upcoming year.

Did you find our tips helpful? We’d love to hear from you in the comment section below!

Have fun!

References

Sala, Rose Gordon. 64 Easy Science Experiments for Kids to Do at Home. Mommy Poppins. Accessed June 20th, 2020 via https://mommypoppins.com/kids/50-easy-science-experiments-for-kids-fun-educational-activities-using-household-stuff