It is finally that time of year: the last day of school. The day the lockers are cleaned out, the students wave goodbye to their teachers, and the school doors close until the fall. No more waiting because summer is here at last. In the moments of pure relief that the school year has ended and the vacation can begin, there comes a chance all the learning from the school year prior could be lost. Despite summer being a break from school, it does not mean the learning has to stop. Studies have shown that during the summer, students tend to lose the information they obtained during the recent school year. Luckily, this does not have to happen when you allow your child's learning to continue. Here are a couple fun ideas to help continue learning, even outside of the classroom.
1. Opening New Literature
Most schools, especially preparatory schools, assign students a mandatory reading list to better prepare them for the upcoming school year. While these reading lists are useful in maintaining a student's reading level during the summer, an obligatory reading assignment can feel like a chore and take the joy out of reading. In addition to reading list, try encouraging your child to explore other forms of literature that might peak their interest. Better yet, think about setting up a book club between your child and their friends. This will help boost their social interaction during the summer and enlightening their minds to new literary works. This could also be a good break for them away from their summer assignments.
2. Journey Through Virtual Museums
Everything is going virtual these days, even the museums. Taking a tour through a museum is always an inspiring experience. Your child can immerse themselves into new art mediums and explore new artistic knowledge. Virtual museum tours are offered by many major museums in the US and all over the globe. These online tours are a fun and brilliant way for your child to go off to far off places from the comfort of their home. Your child does not have to be the only one to enjoy these tours, you can as well join in on the fun. Together, you and your child can learn something new about the creative world of fine art.
3. Science Fair at Home
Science is one of the many subjects that hits both left-brained and right-brained individuals. There is a creativity to science as well as the analytical portion. This summer you can really bring out both sides in your child's brain by creating your own Science Fair at home. Just take a gander online for amusing at-home science projects to stimulate your child's mind. Through these projects, your child can discover new and exciting scientific theories and methodologies. Science projects are also the perfect opportunity for your child to improve their math skills. Creativity is part of the project, but research and calculations play a major role. For example, building and launching a simple bottle rocket is a chance for your child to utilize those formulas they learned in geometry and physics to find out how far the rocket could go. If your child has yet to learn these formulas then this is the opportune time for them to start.
4. Write a Story
Story telling is one of the oldest forms communication. Practicing creative writing holds many benefits in a student's education. Aside from only improving reading and writing skills, creative writing also assists in advancing communication and empathy. Thought clarification is another skill that takes sometime for someone to develop. Writing a story can put your child ahead of the curve in cultivating this skill early and will be useful when they are need to interpret their thoughts and emotions to others. A skill that many adults still work on improving to this day. Creative writing is an imagination boost for your child. A year of tests and homework can dull the imagination to a degree. Letting your child to sit down and write a story, poetry, etc. will light that spark in their mind to want to build a whole world with just the stroke of a pen or click on a keyboard.
The school year is over. Your child may want to sit back and not think about homework until next fall. During this summer, your child can still relax away from normal school and still continue their learning at home. Many preparatory schools are already set with assigning reading lists and math packets for your child to complete before the coming school year. So while your child completes their summer homework, see how there are other ways to advance your child's learning. Using these beneficial tips, your child may spark a new interest in a subject and can impress their teachers with all they learned during the summer.
