Ideas to Keep Your Child Learning All Summer Long

It is possible to have fun and

learn at the same time!!

Ideas for Parents Compiled by Allison Larkins for Educational Bridge

Adapted by Lori WestgardSummer 2009

School’s Out!!

• How can you keep your child from forgetting everything he/she has learned throughout the school year?

• There are actually many ways to keep children interested in learning during the summer--the key with most of them, is to disguise them as fun!

• If you make an activity or event fun, your child won’t even realize that he/she is learning--and that will satisfy both of you!

Take a hike on a nearby nature trail

• Walk slowly. Give your child a chance to meander along the trail, looking at whatever catches his/her eye.

• When your child sees an interesting sight, stop and examine his/her finding.

• Try to identify the finding. If you can’t, sketch the finding or take a photo for research at home.

• The idea is to take a normal event and turn it into a learning experience. Just spend time discovering your surroundings through your child’s eyes.

Go to the zoo

• At home, talk about what kinds of animals your child expects to see, what animal is his/her favorite, and why.

• Give your child a challenge. Bet your child that you won’t see any camels. Children love to prove their parents wrong, so your child will bend over backwards trying to spot a camel.

• Ask your child to tell you the animals he/she sees. If your child isn’t sure about a particular animal, have him/her describe it--color, size, features, etc. to help with those observation skills.

• Have your child be in charge of the zoo map--this is a great learning tool!

• Be sure to take photos of all the zoo animals. At home, have your child label the pictures with the animal’s name and habitat for your family scrapbook.

Cook with your child• Cooking can be a great learning experience for your child. • Let your child choose a recipe to prepare. Point out the

ingredients list and the directions so your child won’t choose a recipe that is too lengthy or involved.

• Have your child write an ingredient list and then go to the store with you to purchase the ingredients.

• While cooking, act as your child’s assistant--not the other way around. Let your child tell you what he/she needs you to do.

• Be sure to have your child measure all the ingredients.• Review the recipe carefully, making sure no ingredients were

forgotten. • Once the recipe is complete, remember to praise your little

chef--also take a picture for your family scrapbook. Your child can write the recipe to keep in the scrapbook with his/her chef picture.

Read to your child• What can you do to encourage your child to read without making it seem

like an assignment?• Again, it is all about making it fun for your child.• Remember that reading anything is reading--not just books.• Your child can read the newspaper, the manual to the newest video

game, a magazine, a website, or a comic book--all still require reading!• One way to make reading more fun is to keep reading aloud to your

child. • Just because your child is old enough to read on his/her own doesn’t

mean you have to stop reading aloud to him/her--quite the opposite!• Children enjoy spending time together in this way and like having books

read to them.• Resist the urge to choose a book for your child. Even if the book you

want your child to read is an award-winner and every other child you know absolutely loves the book, that doesn’t mean your child will be interested.

• Allowing your child to choose his/her own books keeps him/her more motivated and more interested in reading.

Visit the library

• Reading is fundamental and there is no one who can disguise this better than the librarian.

• The library has great educational programs from story time to magic shows to science demonstrations to author chats. Drop in to ask the librarian for a schedule of their summer events.

• Join a summer reading program. Most children love such programs because they can earn rewards, certificates, and other incentives.

Create your own reward system

• The reward system should be a visual that your child sees every day. One mother turned a wall into a sea. Each time her child finished a book, he created a fish or sea creature, wrote the book’s title, and added it to the wall. It was a constant reminder of his achievement.

• Sit down with your child and develop some rewards or activities he/she would like to do this summer. Then set your guidelines. It could be as easy as reading five books equals a trip to a favorite party place.

• You know your child best, so you know what will motivate him/her.

• Be sure to use the Summer Reading List for Students Entering Fourth Grade on the Summer Reading page.

Take some field trips

• Children learn best by doing, so enjoy the time with your child.

• What you may think of as play can be a great learning experience for your child.

• Visit a local museum.• Tour an art gallery.• Go to some free concerts in the park.• See local historical landmarks or businesses.• Take a virtual field trip of the White House or of Sea

World.• Visit the Enchanted Learning website for information,

printables, crafts, and snacks on every imaginable theme.• All of these will provide excellent educational experiences

for your child.

Play, play, play

• Children learn a lot from play.• Build with Lego’s, Lincoln logs, blocks, or other

“stuff.” Building gets the brain working. • Do simple jigsaw puzzles to 1,000 pieces puzzles all

the way to the Rubik’s cube. Puzzles start young minds looking for solutions.

• Play some educational computer games. See the Summer Computer Fun page for website suggestions.

• Enjoy a board game or a card game. These games are great for counting, predicting, and strategizing.

Write, write, write• Research shows that children who can write well perform better

in all other subjects.• Have your child keep a summer journal.• Help your child think of writing topics. See the Summer Writing

and Handwriting page for some suggestions.• Create stories as a family. Start with one sentence; then have

each family member take turns writing the next sentence. You will be surprised how imaginative the stories will become!

• Encourage your child to keep a Travel Diary when he/she travels on a vacation or visits a relative.

• Have your child write the weekly grocery list or other household lists.

• Ask your child to write letters or emails to friends and family. Don’t forget your teacher!

• Write invitations for parties and thank you notes for gifts or other special surprises.

Great Geography

• While you are planning your vacation trips, let your child be your assistant.

• Viewing maps of your intended vacation spots allows your child to be more comfortable with locating points of interest on a map.

• Your child will also become more familiar with map symbols. He/She will know how to navigate to different areas.

• While traveling, discuss with your child how road patterns change and how the landscape changes, too.

Luscious Language

• If your child keeps a Travel Diary detailing experiences during the summer, make time to read it aloud. Getting your child to learn how different descriptive words can change the meaning of sentences is a helpful way to expand vocabulary.

• Play rhyming games. This exercise will help children play attention to the pronunciation of words.

• Do crossword puzzles, word searches, and Mad Libs to develop vocabulary.

• Tell some jokes and/or riddles for laughs and for higher level thinking skills.

Marvelous Math• Have your child assist when developing the budget for your vacation

trips. • Estimate the cost two gallons of milk, a meal at McDonald’s or the

weekly grocery bill.• Determine which unit would be used to measure the distance to the

park, the amount of water needed to sprinkle the lawn, or the weight of a beach towel.

• While waiting in line or at the doctor’s office, think of number games for your child. I am 7 + 7 – 6. Who am I? or I am 9 x 9 + 3. Who am I? This will really reinforce those math skills.

• Do a family survey of a favorite food, the best holiday, or the prettiest color. Discuss the findings asking questions about how many more or how many fewer…

• Play games like counting the number of colors seen while traveling and then making a graph to display the colors.

• Your child will have so much fun. He/She will never suspect that you are actually giving him/her math work during summer vacation.

In conclusion…

• Even a few minutes a day or a few times a week will keep your child from forgetting everything he/she has learned throughout the school year.

• Remember, make the activity or event fun so your child doesn’t even realize that he/she is learning!

• Most importantly, enjoy spending time with your child this summer!