I published this article a couple of years ago. With summer started, I figured this was a good time to present this article once again. It has good tips as well as a suggested summer reading list by age. Check it out!
Michelle Sylvester, Yahoo! Contributor Network
Jul 19, 2010
As many parents can relate, summer break for children rapidly turns from a time of great excitement and relief, to a long stretch of boredom. For many children, this excess time results in hours of television viewing and video game playing. They suffer an academic backslide in important educational skills. There are several things parents can do to fill this time with activities that will not only entertain, but reinforce academic and critical thinking skills, ensuring the child returns to school better prepared.
1. Have them read!!! Reading is the key to success in all other subjects. The more a child reads, the better they read. A minimum of 20 minutes of reading a day is recommended. Public libraries are a great and free source for reading material. Many of them also have summer programs that offer children incentives for reading. Allow your child to select their own books, based on their personal interests.
For some great books, categorized by fiction/nonfiction and age level, the International Reading Association has lists of favorites chosen by children, teachers, and young adults: http://www.reading.org/Resources/Booklists.aspx.
Favorites of both my students and children are:
Picture Books: Anything by Eric Carle, Maurice Sendack, Dr. Seuss, Mercer Mayer, and especially Robert Munsch
Young Readers: Junie B. Jones books by Barbara Park, Diary of a Wimpy Kid books by Jeff Kinney, Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne, and anything by Beverly Clearly
Middle Readers: The Books of Ember (trilogy) by Jeanne DuPrau, the Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling, the Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norman Juster, and anything by Madeleine L'Engle, or Lois Lowry.
Young Adults: The Twilight Saga by Stephanie Meyer, Lord of the Rings series by J.R.R. Tolkien, Holes by Louis Sachar, and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
2. Interactive Math Games: The internet is a great resource for finding games that bolster math skills. Children of all ages can learn while playing entertaining games on the computer. Three of my favorites are http://multiplication.com (I love "Granny Prix"), www.math-play.com (games on various math topics and categorized by grade levels), and http://coolmath4kids.com (Coffee Shop among others are addicting, even for adults). Great alternatives to video games!
3. Have them help with the planning of summer vacations! Both younger and older children can be included and sharpen their skills by being involved in aspects of the vacation planning process: where to go, what to see, budget, scheduling. Reading, writing, researching, and calculating are all made fun with the end result of an exciting vacation!
4. Board/Card Games: Most board and card games require some type of critical thinking skills and logic. Living in Phoenix, AZ, the summers are much too hot for a great deal of outside play. My own children love spending the afternoons playing board games as a family or with the other neighborhood kids. Favorites include: Monopoly, Apples to Apples, Phase 10, UNO, Life, Clue, Sorry, Trouble, Chess, Checkers, Risk, and our new favorite Rummikub. For younger children, Chutes & Ladders, Memory, Candyland, Cootie, and various BINGO games reinforce color recognition and counting. Often, we pick them up for a dollar or two at our local Goodwill!
5. Puzzles: Puzzles are a great way to develop critical thinking skills. Most types of puzzles can be found in varied ability levels and can be played not only at home, but can entertain on long car and plane rides. Favorites for my clan include: jigsaw puzzles, Sudoku (math), word finds and crosswords (vocabulary), and cryptograms (grammar).
As a teacher and a mother of three, I believe in the power of fun in learning. It is amazing to watch children engaged in activities that keep them entertained, while developing their minds as well. Don't let summer break become a lapse in your children's' education, but use it as an opportunity to simultaneously entertain them and enrich their minds.
________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment