The school year is long and busy for children. When the schools close for the summer, it is understandable if your children want to slack off. During this time it can be a challenge for you to keep your children engaged and motivated.
When the kids return to school after the summer break, most teachers report that they observe a ‘summer slump’ in students. During the summer break, children forget many of the key lessons that they learnt during the school year,
But it need not be so. The summer break can be a time for fun activities and exploration. Such an approach helps get your child out of the summer slump.
As a parent, you can keep your child’s learning going in a fun way even during the summer break. This way, when the schools reopen, they will be refreshed and also ready to take off from where they were when the schools closed.
How to Get Your Child Out of the Summer Slump?
Some practical tips to get your child out of the summer slump include:
- Fix a Reading Time. With the children at home, the summer break can be a busy time for you. But it is important to set aside at least 30 minutes for reading time with your child. Regular reading is one of the most effective ways of keeping their interest and learning going. Apart from the learning benefits, this is also time for the kids and you to read, talk and bond together. During the reading time - ask questions, discuss new words, and also enjoy the story. Take turns reading. Reading aloud is a great way to help them build understanding. Include a wide range of books. This helps your child interested in different things. Getting your child to enjoy reading is an important and desirable side effect.
- Keep them away from too Much Television. While the summer break is a time for your children to watch their favourite cartoons or star trek episodes, too much TV can be bad. Monitor how much and what your children are watching. Insist on them taking a break to read or engage in some outdoor physical activity.
- Keep a Little Writing Going. Regular writing helps keep your child’s writing skills fresh. But take care to make it fun and not seem like a chore. Both you and the child can write a story and read it out to each other. Or, you could ask your child to describe a fun trip that you took together or a hike that you went on. Ask them to keep a diary of their daily activities. Include games that need them to write. Get them to write letters to friends, cousins, and grandparents. It helps improve penmanship, expression, and vocabulary. Use this activity to teach your child how to address a letter, stamp it, and post it from the post office. Writing even a little, but often, helps your children keep their writing skills fresh.
- Engage in Outdoor Physical Activity. Get them to go outdoors to play. Go for a walk or a hike. Spend time in nature. Get your child to play a variety of team and individual sports. Games can be a great way of developing physical ability and also having fun. Playing with your children can also be a good time for you to bond with them.
- Encourage Creative Activities. Engaging in creative arts and crafts is a fun way of developing their imagination and creativity. The activities could include - cooking, baking, quilting, pottery, carpentry, clay modelling, etc. These activities introduce them to the essentials of measurements, shapes, angles, and geometry. If required you can get them a home tutor to teach them these skills.
- Weave Learning into Routine Activities. Routine, everyday activities are great opportunities to apply some skill or the other. When you go to the store, have your child pay and collect the change. Have them tally up your purchase and calculate the bill without a calculator. Get them to read out the recipe while you bake or cook. During laundry ask them to separate clothes by colour, type, shape, and size. Such activities make learning fun, keep them engaged, and are a productive use of their time.
- Make Learning Fun. Show that you too are excited to learn. Tell them how you are still learning and get them to help work out a solution to some problem that you are dealing with. This will make your children enthusiastic to learn. Talk to them about how school and learning are fun. let them see that you too are learning and enjoying it.
Final Thoughts
Getting your child out of the summer slump is no easy task. Taking the time out and putting in the effort to help your child, can help them make the most of their summer months. The goal should be to help your child remain active, stay engaged, and continue learning throughout the summer break. If required, you can even use private tuition for all the fun activities to keep the children engaged. This will help your child restart school feeling prepared.
We can help!
MyPrivateTutor UAE is a learning platform that can help parents find great ideas and tutors for their children to stay productively engaged during the summer break.
MyPrivateTutor UAE
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