Ways to Maximize Your Child’s Learning Potential Over the Summer

Children look forward to their summer break because they can close the books to learning and have fun with friends. But just because school isn’t in session doesn’t mean they can’t learn. There are a host of fun and interesting activities you can do with your child that helps them to retain information and opens the door to new learning experiences.

Summer Reading

Although this time off from school is ideal for summer play dates, it doesn’t mean that your children should stop learning during the break. If your child groans at the thought of having a required reading list over the summer vacation, include them in the process. Help them look on the Internet for books that may be of interest to them. Based on their favorite hobbies or activities, you may discover some new authors. Reading will also feel like less of a chore if you visit the library and allow them to investigate new books. Whether they’re in Kindergarten or 8th grade, have a grade level-appropriate list of options available.

Summer Math Activities

Oak Crest Academy offers award winning curricula that allows your gifted children to realize their full potential. To get them ready for classes come fall, there are activities that will hone their math skills. Although it’s nice to plan some activities in advance, take advantage of instantaneous learning experiences. If you’re at the grocery store, give them money and have them pick out certain items within that dollar amount. They can also weigh fruits and veggies on the scale to determine the total cost of broccoli or apples. Your computer or tablet will have educational apps that can make math fun. If your child loves to cook, measuring the ingredients can be a great way to incorporate math and bake a cake.

Summer Science Activities

Being outdoor during the summer is the perfect time to advance their nature and science skills. Whether you teach your child how to garden, plant flowers or build a bird feeder, the warm weather provides a number of educational opportunities for your child to advance in science. If your child is better at self-directed learning, check with your local hobby shop for a science kit. IT savvy individuals may enjoy a circuit board or electronic kit. They may also enjoy exploring the various apps and settings on your smartphone or tablet devices. To make it a family project, select one day each week to try out the experiments together. Using household items that you have in your cabinets and experiments from the Internet, you’ll be surprised at all you can do.

Physical Fitness

Although keeping your children active has a host of physical benefits, research has shown that exercise can help improve your child’s learning skills. This time to move around and explore can break up the monotony of learning. Going on hikes, growing a garden, treasure hunts and bike rides are all excellent ways to burn energy. You can also teach them group activities such as volleyball, baseball, basketball or soccer. Once they’ve mastered them, sign them up for a summer league where they can socialize with their friends and learn good sportsmanship skills.

Experts say that every child should be involved in some type of summer learning project. While text book learning can help your child’s advancement throughout the school year, there are a number of projects that are quite different than what they normally learn each day. Using your everyday activities over the summer break, you can incorporate fun while making it an educational experience for your child.