Parents sometimes look forward to summer as much as their kids do because our schedules aren’t quite so busy. There’s no rush to get to school or the bus stop; no packing lunches or homework to keep tabs on. It is a bit of a reprieve from the 10 months of busyness of the calendar school year.
Even though it is a break, it’s important to keep kids thinking in some capacity, either by learning a new skill, reading, or lots of puzzle play. Whatever you choose, remember it doesn’t have to look “academic” for kids to get something from it.
Summer can be a great time to teach kids a skill that you think is important for them to learn but that they might not get in school. Kids used to learn cursive, but since it is not something they are tested on, schools don’t spend much time on it anymore; teachers have to cover the material and the standards that students need to know in preparation for accountability measures. The months of June and July might be a great time for you to have your child start learning to write their legal names in cursive. One day they’ll have to sign a contract in person and they’ll need that.
The summer months can also be a good time to have them practice various life skills, whether it is cutting grass, cooking dinner, or deadheading flowers on the deck. Young children can help parents count apples to put in the bag at the grocery. Older children can be tasked with finding certain groceries on their own to bring to the cart. A grocery store visit is a good time to show kids how to compare cost per ounce of comparable items.
Make A Way Media also has a lot of activities to offer that are fun, engaging, and help kids develop a growth mindset. Sign up for free activities for your kids to do this summer. We email free materials every single month for families and kids to use as discussion tools and to broaden the horizons of young minds. Learn more about the K Club and sign up here.
We also have a new activity book which is packed with coloring sheets, puzzles and crafts that is pretty easy for kids to work on without a whole lot of help from an adult. Activity books are a great way to keep the gears turning and off constant screen time. You can see the latest activity book released by Make A Way Media here.
Taking children to the library is, of course, a favorite summer option for many families. Summer reading programs are available for children and teens in many places. Be sure to thank library staff who are usually inundated with families as soon as school ends and provide all kinds of cool activities and programming in addition to keeping library shelves restocked with books.
Of course there is absolutely nothing wrong with doing nothing for a few days. Treat yourself if you are able and allow yourself (and your kids) some chill time. Then seize the opportunities the summer allows to expose your kids to growth mindset activities that are not as easy to fit in during the school year! Happy summer!