Sun-filled days at the pool, adventurous family vacations, no alarm clocks and extended bedtimes. These are just a few visions that many students have as they long for the carefree days of summer. As parents plan family vacations and activities to keep their children busy, it’s important to remember that learning can and should still continue in the summer months.
And parents, you are in luck! We have some very simple summer learning tips that are so much fun your children won’t even realize they are being asked to continue to learn on their summer vacation!
1. Visit Your Local Zoo. Summer is the perfect time to make a fun list of attractions to see. Many children love visiting animals at the zoo. Deepen your child’s knowledge of the animals by having them read the different exhibits. If giraffes are your childrens’ favorite animal, spend more time at this exhibit, ask them additional questions and encourage them to continue researching giraffes once they return home. Young children may enjoy drawing a picture with all of the information they learned and older children may want to check-out a book from the local library.
2. Have a Scavenger Hunt at the Museum. Visits to the museum are a perfect educational activity for the dog days of summer. Make the visit not only educational, but also fun by turning it into a scavenger hunt. If you’re going to an art museum, your list can include things you might see in paintings or sculptures. If it’s a natural history museum, you can include dinosaurs and animals.
3. Weekly Game Night. Pick a night of the week and host a family friendly weekly game night. For younger kids, you can play a card game like Go Fish, which works with numbers, attention and concentration, and memorization skills. For older kids, Scrabble is a great game for language skills and Monopoly is great for counting currency and thinking strategically.
4. Visit the Library. The most important way to build and sustain reading proficiency is for kids to read daily. Reading each day goes a long way towards developing valuable vocabulary and comprehension skills. Most libraries have summer reading programs for children.
5. Turn Daily Routines into Practical Learning Opportunities. Children are naturally motivated to learn about topics that interest them. If your children like to be in the kitchen, ask them to join you for some cooking fun. Have them be in charge of measurements when mixing ingredients. This could be a good time to discuss fractions and conversions. If your children like sports, think about how you can deepen their math understanding while watching their favorite game. What’s the score of the game? Can you calculate batting averages?
6. Let them be your Travel Agents. Many families use the summer months to take a family vacation. Before you set off on your adventure, let your children get involved in the planning process. Have them research the area you are visiting and see if there’s any nearby attractions they would like to visit. Many cities have walking or biking historical tours you can participate in. The entire process serves as a finance, geography, history and social studies lesson all wrapped in one.
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Email Cindy McVay at Issaquah_WA@iKumon.com to schedule your free placement test. Research Kumon on their website and on Facebook or call Cindy McVay, M.Ed. in Issaquah at 425-369-1072 or Snoqualmie 425-396-1700. Placement testing is always free.
Kumon Math and Reading Center of Issaquah Highlands
1036 NE Park Drive, Issaquah, WA 98029
425-369-1072
Go to the Kumon or Kumon Issaquah Facebook pages.
Mondays and Thursdays 3:00-7:00 pm
Office Hours in Issaquah Wednesdays 3:00-6:00 pm
