Taking a break from learning all summer can cause children to lose months’ worth of reading and math skills from the previous school year. They will also be missing out on tons of new information and skills if they put off learning at home. Don’t make them dread those home workbooks or flashcards; incorporate these sneaky learning activities into your child’s summer plans!
Create a Board Game
Challenge your child to create a board game based on something they love, whether it be their favorite sport, dogs, food, etc. This will lead to researching information about their chosen topic, writing directions that can be followed by others, and coming up with a strategy of how to win. This is a fun, hands-on activity that can be recreated many times with new topics and strategies.
Plan Adventures
When planning trips, search for educational spots to visit while you’re there. Consider factory tours, Renaissance festivals, historic home tours, botanical gardens, planetariums, animal sanctuaries, etc. Think outside of the box!
Incorporate Reading
Reading doesn’t always have to be a boring activity. It can be fun comic books, magazines, graphic novels, joke books, or even recipes, instructions, menus, or song lyrics. Audiobooks are another great tool; they can tell entertaining stories and introduce kids to books above their reading level. Listening to books teaches critical listening skills and introduces new vocabulary as well.
Encourage Building
There are many options for fun building-block style trinkets that kids can enjoy years past the building blocks age. Building a structure involves motor skills, creativity, hand-eye coordination, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills. You can also use at-home tools like cardboard boxes or tubes from paper towel rolls, toothpicks, and craft sticks. There are endless possibilities for things that can be built.
Fuel Their Passion
When a child is passionate about something, they want to learn everything they possibly can about it. Find out what your child is passionate about and give them the tools they need to feed into it. Take a trip to the library to check out books, rent a movie based on the topic of interest, find games they can play, etc.
Walton Academy
Incorporating these sneaky activities into your child’s summer will have them eager to learn all summer long, and they might not even be aware that they are learning! Ensuring your child is always learning will keep them prepared for the new school year and ready to dive into learning. Walton Academy, a private school located in Greenville, North Carolina offers small class sizes, highly qualified teachers, and a great support system for children of all ages. Learn more about our highly accredited programs and enrollment information by contacting us today!