By Ulrick Vieux, DO, MS and Roopa Mathews, MS-IV
While learning may be the last thing on children’s minds during summer vacation, it is important for youngsters to reinforce what they’ve learned throughout the year, and to keep their skills in practice for the year to come. In these last few weeks before school resumes, there is still time to get the most out of summer vacation from an educational perspective.
The key to motivating children to develop the habit of learning during this time is to present it in a way that is consistent with summer: fun! Allowing learning to be a social experience, involving the whole family, friends and neighbors, helps children to feel that whatever they are doing is less of an obligation, and more of an activity.
Create a Routine
It is never too late to set the tone for the rest of the summer in anticipation for the upcoming academic year. Create even a rough routine for your children, where time is set aside every day for learning. If your child fights the idea, implementing a reward system with points is a great tool. For example, once he or she reaches a certain number of points, the child would be allowed to choose a restaurant for dinner that night or skip an evening chore. In this way, children learn the value of responsibility and consequently build confidence over time.
The Great Outdoors
Once the time commitment has been made, ideas for educational activities are endless. A good place to start is outside. Taking any activity, including reading, and bringing it outdoors allows a child’s imagination to run wild.
• Choose a book about the outdoors and ask the child to find elements of the book in your surroundings.
• Teach numbers by counting flowers, clouds, children or even bugs.
• If you have access to a garden, purchase some seeds, have your child research the flower, plant, or vegetable and have them help you plant it, water it and check up on it. Once it’s grown, let your child decide what to do with it.
• Take a board game, such as Scrabble, or any arts and crafts project outdoors and involve other children.
Let Your Child Lead
Having your child lead any project with your assistance bestows a sense of ownership, responsibility and confidence. For example, have your child help you construct a bird feeder, and give you a daily account of which birds have visited. As important as it is for children to do their part, it is also important for parents to show interest, follow up and positively reinforce their efforts.
Community Offerings
Taking advantage of what your community has to offer is another useful tool to help keep children motivated.
• Look at your community calendar or visit the local public library for information on upcoming events.
• Visit a museum and incorporate a scavenger hunt with things children purchase first at the gift store to get them excited about what they are seeing and learning. They can earn points—redeemable afterwards for a treat—by telling you which exhibit the item was from and what they learned about it.
• Visit a farm and incorporate identification of animals and nature. It can be a fun event for the whole family.
Plan a Trip
Weekend family visits to nearby historical sites can be both fun and a good source of knowledge building. Letting your child be the event planner of the trip and setting up the itinerary will create excitement about the outing, since it was based on his or her own research.
The Perfect Recipe
Following through with your child’s commitment to learning, and mixing in creativity, preparation and effort is the perfect recipe for keeping your child motivated. It promises a summer filled with activities that incorporate learning and fun for the whole family, including adults. Take careful note that children will be more inclined to partake in anything if the people involved and surrounding them are invested, and are enjoying themselves. No child wants to ever miss out.
We all were children once and know what it took to motivate us, so tap into that part of yourself and you may be pleasantly surprised at the outcome in both your children and yourself!
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