During the summer months, school-aged children get a nice break from their studies. However, during the extended break, students’ academic skill will often get rusty. While it’s important to relax over the summer vacation, it’s also important to spend some time each weekday practicing skills that will help in the school year to come. There are lots of ways to do that.
Keep a Journal
A fun and easy way to keep writing and handwriting skills fresh is to keep a summer journal. Get a composition notebook for each child and let them decorate the covers with stickers or pictures. Then have them spend 30 minutes a day writing about what they’re doing, what they want to do, what they’re excited about, or anything they feel like. Try having them write a short story once every other week to keep their creativity up, too.
Find a full-curriculum workbook for whatever grade your child is going into. That way, they will be all warmed up by the time school starts. You can usually find reasonably priced ones on Amazon.com. You can also Google “[insert grade] Workbook Page” and print them out from there.
Have the Kids Teach
Do you have more than one child? If so, have the older ones read to and give little lessons to the younger ones. That way, not only will the younger ones be learning, but the older ones are refreshing skills that they’ve learned in years before. Not to mention, they can practice “public speaking” in front of their siblings, which makes it easier.
These are just a few ideas that could work. Leave us a comment and tell us what you’re doing to keep your kids’ skills fresh!
By Adrianna, LivingFirst Contributor