The last thing parents want after the school year ends is to try to wrangle kids back into learning mode. Still, we all know how important it is to prevent that “summer slide,” especially this year. Ideally, of course, students would spend their summer reading 20 to 30 minutes a day. They would spend at least 15 minutes a day engaged in high-cognitive level math problems. And they would keep a journal and record in it every night before bed like clockwork. But we understand there’s a difference between the ideal and reality. The good news is, there are so many ways to get kids learning that don’t involve the traditional paper and pencil. Here are some easy tips for squeezing a little bit of learning into your summer without your kids even knowing.
Get Creative At Home
Instead of your children sitting on the couch playing video games or texting all day, bake or cook something together. Have them do all the measurements, and ask them to do some conversions to up the challenge. Ask them to help you create a budget. For older kids, have them create their own budget! There are tons of easy ways to incorporate math for younger kids as well. During simple routines like brushing their teeth, kids can practice estimation by setting a one-minute timer, guessing when a minute has passed and then checking the timer. Having kids clean their room also presents plenty of opportunities for counting, sorting, categorizing, and many other skills crucial to math.
Out and About
There are also plenty of ways to incorporate some academic elements into regular, everyday tasks and errands. Counting money to pay for items in a store, calculating what the change should be, planning out the day by estimating how long certain tasks will take, and calculating the quantity of each ingredient they’ll need to buy for doubling a recipe are just a few ways to make everyday errands a little more skill-based.
Go on a “Field Trip”
Why not intentionally take their learning outdoors? Field trips don’t have to just be for school! Whether you’re near the quiet solitude of the woods or in the middle of a big city, there are always opportunities to learn out in the world. Museums, walking tours, historical sites, and even parks are excellent places for a field trip. And if you don’t know the first thing about making these visits academic, here is a great resource with super user-friendly “lesson plans.” They even have tips for stretching kids’ brains at an amusement park!