Holy Smoke! School is just about a month away!! Here are some great tips from Prepared Children to help keep your kiddos sharp! Prepared Children has some great camps that still have openings! I am sending my rising kindergartner next week!
GIVE YOUR CHILD THE ADVANTAGE DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS
Michelle Egan M.Ed.
Prepared Children
It’s hard to believe we are already nearing the half way point of summer vacation. When most children hear the last school bell ring in June, they have dreams of a leisurely summer vacation filled with fun, fun and more fun. School may be out but that doesn’t mean you can’t enrich your child’s summer experience with academic activities to help prevent what is known as the “SUMMER SLIDE.” Many children will forget some of the previous year’s lessons. Check out our tips to help your child retain what they learned last year, continue to grow academically over the summer months and prepare them for school in the fall.
Read Because You Want To - We hear every summer to have our children read, read, read but how important is it really? The U.S. Department of Education says reading 5 books a summer will help kids stay on the learning track and reduce summer learning loss. Make sure these books are Just Right- not too hard or too easy. One way to check is the 5 finger rule. A book is too hard if a child misreads 5 words on a page (one word for each finger). Visit your local library or bookstore and start reading.
Make the Most of Travel Time - On your next road trip turn off the movies in the car and listen to books on tape. This will help increase your child’s auditory skills, attentions span, and comprehension skills. Once the book on tape is over ask your child: can you summarize the story, what was their favorite part in the story, if you could create a new ending to the story what would it be, describe the main character of the story, describe the setting of the story, talk about the problem and solution of the story, and make a self to book connection (has anything in this story every happened to you)?
Writing For The Fun Of It - Have your child write a daily journal describing what they did that day. For younger children they might just be able to draw a picture and label it with one or two words. The older your child the more details they can add to their journal writing. This will be a wonderful keepsake that they can go back and reread when they are older. If you go on vacation, have your child write a postcard to themselves and friends describing their summer vacation. All children love to receive mail, even if they are the ones who sent it. Have your child become pen pals with a relative who lives somewhere else over the summer. Go outside and write with sidewalk chalk. If your child is just beginning the writing process have them write their letters, name, or short sentences. For older children, have them write a poem, play hangman, and draw picture telling a story.
Cooking and Learning- Have your child help cook family meals over the summer. This helps your child with reading, following directions, and math/measurement. Visit our website at www.preparedchildren.com for a fun ice cream recipe that the kids will love and you can make it with them at home.
Try not to lose sight of the most important thing and meet your child’s original summertime expectation of fun, fun and more fun. Learning does not have to be a struggle. Use these fun ideas to enhance your child’s academic experience and have a great summer.
