Kids are like sponges. Don't let them dry out this summer.
"Brain drain" describes a phenomenon that occurs when kids are on extended vacation from school. Studies show that children tend to forget school lessons from the last month or two of school. Especially vulnerable are math skills.
This brain drain is not inevitable. Your response should be to engage your charges in intellectually stimulating activities during the summer and all year long.
Give the kids a leg up instead of starting a step behind. Anticipate the coming school year. Find out what the kids will be studying and engage the children on the subjects.
Keep the television turned off. Instead of watching television get the school’s summer reading list and go to the library. Discuss books the children are reading.
Don’t forget summer learning opportunities locally such as museums, the zoo, aquariums, concerts, and parks that you don’t usually get to attend during the school year.
Incorporate math into their daily lives. Sports statistics and cooking measurements are easy ways to teach math while engaged in everyday activities. Counting steps is another way to encourage math while boosting a healthy lifestyle. Counting apples and weighing produce while grocery shopping keeps young children using math skills. Paying with real money and counting the change helps older children learn an important life skill. Plus, have the children practice doing math problems they might have to do at school. Have them complete five to 10 math problems from a grade-appropriate workbook a few times a week.
Help the children make a summer journal. Allow children to snap photos of activities they do and places they visit using disposable or digital cameras. Then have them write down the fun things they do all summer long. Just a few sentences will suffice. Also encourage children to write postcards and letters to family and friends to practice writing this summer.
You should encourage a rich, stimulating and productive learning experiences for your charges during the summer so that they can get into the habit of applying themselves with focus and energy. If you keep it simple and fun children will do it for enjoyment and the positive reinforcement.
What are your favorite learning activities to do with children during the summer?