Radio Commentary
Summertime can provide an important break for young students. But studies show that those who remain active learners are better prepared to return to academic studies in the fall.
Reading, writing, math, and science activities can take on a new perspective when experienced as part of summertime fun.
Here are some ways you can help:
Promote creativity and build muscle control with a pail of water and a brush. On a warm day, take your children to the driveway or sidewalk and encourage them to write anything at all. Talk about what they’ve written. Hose it off when it’s time to clean up.
Encourage summer reading. Find books or magazines geared to your child’s interests. Topics with natural appeal would cover cars, musical groups and singers, and relationships.
Ask about your child’s career interests. Chances are there’s a magazine or book on the subject.
Bring the outdoors inside. Collect leaves, rocks, seashells, and bugs. Grow plants from raw potatoes, avocado seeds, and pineapple tops.
Design a scavenger hunt for your children. Have them look for items like acorns, twigs, small rocks, feathers, tree bark, dandelions. Then read or talk about all the items.
Here’s a variation for indoors:
Write certain words on small pieces of paper or index cards, like “chair” “circle,” “red,” or “animal.” Have children place the words on something in the house that matches that description. “Circle” could go on a plate, and “animal” could go on a picture of a dog.
Even mistakes can be fun.
