When school dismisses for the summer, parents across the country worry about how much their children will forget over the vacation months. Will all those hours helping them with math and reading dissolve with the carefree hours spent at the pool or playground?
“While a break from the long days of school is needed, studies show that most kids lose up to two months of their math skills between school grades,” says Dominique Ciccarelli, Ed.M., education specialist for Kumon North America. “The brain is like a muscle and needs a regular dose of exercise to stay strong. Connections in your brain multiply when you learn new topics, and through this process, you get smarter.”
Added to this concern is how much time over the summer parents will be able to commit to helping their children retain and reinforce what they learned during the previous school year. While millions of children are eager for the freedom of summer, parents are coming up with plans to keep the learning momentum going.
Here are seven fun ways to keep your child engaged over the summer with enriching experiences.
Have a scavenger hunt at the museum. One way to turn a visit to the museum into a fun and educational experience is to make it a scavenger hunt. If you’re going to an art museum, like the Dallas Museum of Art, your list can include things you might see in paintings or sculptures from a certain country.
If it’s a natural history museum, like the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, you can include dinosaurs and animals.
Find the right learning program. For families with children looking for enrichment activities, the right learning program is invaluable. With nearly 1,500 centers throughout the United States, Kumon uses an individualized approach that helps children develop a solid command of math and reading skills. To help students continue learning through the summer, Kumon is offering free registration in June at participating centers.
Develop their green thumb. Gardening allows children to not only play and build something — as they might do in a sandbox — but learn about the life cycle of plants and the importance of nutrition. One way to make this more exciting is to try to grow something giant, like a huge squash or zucchini that will provide an end goal to the entire experience.
Let them be your travel agents. Before you set off on your summer vacation, get your children involved in the planning process. Let them help you search for lodging within your budget and in the area you want to stay. Together, you can learn about nearby attractions and plan your visit accordingly. The entire process not only builds confidence, but serves as a finance, geography, history and social studies lesson all wrapped in one.
Have adventures in reading. Reading is one of the most important skills to maintain and develop. Reading to your children each day establishes a positive association in their mind and makes them excited to read on their own. Be sure to stay up to date with the activities at your local library, which provides fun and sociable learning opportunities.
Make something. While there are plenty of kits out there to promote STEM learning skills, you can encourage your children to use their creativity and knowledge to build projects from common household materials. Some classic examples of this would be making a raft out of empty milk cartons or plastic bottles, a homemade volcano using vinegar and baking soda or a homemade electromagnet.
Become a collector. A great way for children to get hands-on knowledge of the natural world is for them to build a collection while discovering the outdoors. Rocks, plants, bugs — these are the things that excite a young mind. Search for different kinds of leaves to press at home, then work with your children to identify their types.
