School is almost out for all grade levels, and it is time to relax and do nothing but have fun. Taking time off is always much needed, but how much of a break is the real question. If you don’t use it, in most cases, you tend to start losing it. Students who keep exercising their brains during summer break have an easier time retaining all the information they learned throughout the year. Learning during the summer doesn’t have to be tedious. Try some of these fun ideas to stay mentally active.
Read
All ages should always read. Especially younger generations that are just starting to perfect their reading skills. All public libraries do summer reading challenges for school-aged children. As a parent, take advantage of these free services. Many have prizes to keep children motivated to follow through with the challenge. It is always easier to put the effort in when there is something to work toward. Older readers should set goals, work toward them, and gain more knowledge by reading all the genres.
Math
Bring math into your everyday life. When you are dealing with children, see if there are ways that you can turn experiences into a math problem. If this is too much work, try Quantile, a summer math challenge for first to the eighth grade. It is an entirely free program to help students not lose their skills and even improve upon them. They can get on and work through the weekly lesson and earn badges as they reach each milestone.
Science
Science is a fun topic to continue investigating after the school year is over. Science can be found all around us and in some of the most fun places. Take a minute and look up some ideas. The internet is full of so many ideas for those of all ages and education. A list of forty-eight different summer science activating can be found here. Enjoy the outdoors while you have a chance and observe your surroundings. Follow the scientific method, and when you have a question about something you see, do the research and learn on your own. You never know when it will come in handy.
Writing
Like reading, writing is an easy subject to stay up to date with. All you need to do is to continue to practice. Take the time to continue writing and editing to improve. Grammar and punctuation will only get better with practice. Use different prompts to give yourself ideas to get your words flowing onto the paper. Woo!Jr has practice worksheets for elementary-aged kids. These will provide some great journal prompts, which means less work on the parents. There is no need to create your own when the internet is full of them for you.
Keep working your brain through the summer. There will never be a dull, boring moment if you spend the time enjoying all the fun summer brings along with some educational activities.