by Erin Hynes
As any teacher can tell you, the first few weeks of each new school year are devoted to reviewing things children learned last year but forgot during the summer. You can keep your kids' mind sharp without making summer a drag with these brain-exercising suggestions.
Keep Reading
Reading is such an important skill that children should read every day during summer, even if it's the comics. Set aside time for reading daily — yes, even if it means turning off the TV or video games.
Summer reading shouldn't feel like homework — summer is the season for reading for fun. So let your children read about topics that interest them.
Try some of these less obvious ways to get your child to read:
- Watch a favorite DVD set to a different language and turn on the subtitles.
- Turn on the closed captioning on a TV program and find the discrepancies between the caption and what the actors say.
- Practice reading billboards and signs backwards.
If your child is a reluctant reader, make it fun by setting goals and rewards; for example, if your child reads a book each week, at the end of the month the family will go out for pizza. (If your child struggles with reading, have your child tested for learning disabilities).
Practice Writing
You can encourage writing skills every day, in small ways:
- Have your child write out the shopping list or the day's to-do list as you dictate it. Be patient and help with spelling.
- Help your child find a pen pal in another part of the country or overseas, so they can exchange letters (remember those?) or emails. Search the web for "pen pals for kids" to find pen pal organizations. Review the website security policy closely before signing up.
- Ask your child to write out the lyrics to a favorite song.
- Play word games together, such as crossword puzzles and word scrambles appropriate to the child's reading level.
- Bring a notebook on outings and encourage your child to take notes about what they do and see.
- Ask your child to recount episodes of favorite programs. Ask your child to identify the main characters, the setting and the plotline.
- Help an older child set up a blog.
Brush Up on Math Skills
Find ways to incorporate math and problem-solving skills into your day in little ways. Here are a few ideas:
- Help very young children learn to count by counting the stairs you're climbing, the cans of food you're putting away or the dinner plates you're setting on the table.
- When shopping, ask your child to estimate the cost of the groceries in your basket or to figure out how much you save on a discounted item.
- Encourage problem-solving skills by asking your child to schedule the day's errands to minimize backtracking and use time efficiently.
- Let your child measure the ingredients as you make a favorite recipe. When baking cookies, compare the number of cookies the recipe says it makes to the number you actually make. Ask an older child to double a recipe.
- Play games that challenge your child's powers of deduction, such as Clue.
Promote the Arts
Artistic activities such as drawing, acting and dancing help children learn to be observant, use their memory and express feelings. The arts help prepare preschoolers for reading and writing by developing visual and motor skills, and can help older students connect to learning if traditional education leaves them cold.
Here are simple summer activities that tap into children's creativity. Remember, the goal is to have fun, not to be perfect.
Ages 2 to 3. Encourage their imaginations by pretending to be animals, cars, trees and other people. Turn on music and have them respond physically by dancing or clapping. Provide dress-up clothes for dramatic play.
Ages 3 to 4. Act out scenes from favorite books, TV programs or movies — use pantomime for some of them and have others try to guess who they are. Draw favorite fictional characters. Count beats to music. Recite nursery rhymes. Improve dexterity by stringing beads or pasta. Make collages using scrap paper, magazine clippings, buttons, paper clips and other small items.
Ages 5 to 8: Tell or write original stories. Make story books, scrapbooks and portfolios of artwork. Encourage them to share and explain their opinions on music, films and TV programs. Put on a play for the neighborhood — they can write it themselves or find one in a book at the library.
Tap into the Library
Libraries have changed a lot since you were a kid. In addition to books, many now let you borrow music CDs, DVDs, art and even toys. During the summer they offer children's activities for toddlers through teens, as well as programs and workshops for adults. And they're a cool refuge from a hot summer afternoon — stop by on your way to the pool.
Some suggestions in this article are adapted from America Reads.
The summer before she started kindergarten, writer Erin Hynes played the Frankenstein monster in her older sister's original play Mr. Magoo Meets Frankenstein.
