Summer Time = Fun + Learning?

It's the summer time and your kids are officially out of school. You may be thinking: "GREAT!!! No more homework! No more projects! No more cupcake bakesales! Just let them run wild...after all as long as they're entertained, you're good right?" Not so. True, kids need a break from school and stress and recharge their brain batteries. However, too long of a break can cause children to forget what was previously learnt in school. The result is a child who enters a higher grade but needs the first quarter to review the past year's workload. You will be helping your child and the teachers in school by simply spending just 30 mins to 1 hour everyday M-F doing simple revisions and exercises with your child. Go to Borders, Barnes and Noble and Amazon and buy a few grade level workbooks for math, english, science and so on. I would set aside an hour in the morning, after breakfast, where your kids sit at the dining table or kitchen island and work on the worksheets for 1/2 hour and spend the next 1/2 hour reading a science, history, or current affairs magazine. Besides exercises, you can review past and new spelling words with them, practice their times table with them, teach them to tell time, and so on. Then, at least 1/2 hour to an hour before bedtime, have your children wind down by reading a book at their own leisure. Doing so will not only stimulate your children's brains but will keep them in shape to gear up for school next Fall. Not only will they NOT fall behind in school, they will be disciplined enough that when school starts, it won't be a sudden shocker to their system. No worries, your child will still have over 10 hours of playtime to recharge their batteries!!! :)

What if you're going on vacation? I would at least have the children bring educational magazines and storybooks with them. There will always be some time in the day where they need (or rather you need!) some quiet time. Sure, give them a break from exercises but remember children crave consistency in their life, no matter how hard they try to fight it! Have a fun summer with your family but more importantly, have a FUN time LEARNING with your family!!!