Are you worried that summer vacation means learning will take a backseat with your children? That need not be the case! With these 8 easy activities, you can ensure that your child does some summer learning while also having the summer fun!
Art and craft
Summer is synonymous with art and craft. It is a sure, easy and inexpensive way to keep children occupied and help their creative spirit grow. The sheer multitude of choices, from contemporary art forms like finger painting and blow painting to out-of-the-box craft ideas like paper quilling and DIY projects, can occupy kids the whole summer. You can look up plenty of such art and craft projects online with cheap materials readily available at home.
Cooking
Engaging children with cooking also gets you some help around the house while they learn survival skills and natural science. Teach them about the boiling point of water, why certain spices are mixed in first, what vegetable cooks faster, how baking soda works, etc. Voila, they’re also learning chemistry!
Local Biodiversity
One of the best ways to spend summer is to be in the seat of nature. Take your children to a park/garden near you and ask them to record the plants, animals and birds they see. They can also learn how to identify plants from leaf shapes.
Take it a step further by making them in charge of growing a plant/flower at home from scratch, including seeding the plant. Ask them to take care of it and make observations every day — how tall has it grown, how many leaves and flowers, the pattern of leaves, whether it looks healthy etc. This will aid in developing their scientific temperament while teaching them about responsibility.
Science experiments
Home science experiments are a great way to spend summer. They provide a fun source of learning that invokes curiosity. Many easy science experiments can be conducted at home using everyday materials. Acti-Learn provides 70+ such activities that children can do within the comfort of four walls. Encourage your budding scientist with this tool!
Treasure hunt and board games
Game learning is one of the best ways to capture a child’s attention and ensure they understand the concept at hand. Thus treasure hunts, board games, and such provide an excellent opportunity for children to learn while playing. You can create word hunt games that aid language and vocabulary development while engaging the competitive spirit of children. There is plenty to be learnt from Monopoly, chess, checkers, palankuzhi, pachisi etc.
Board games are also a great way to increase bonding in the family and help everyone have a fun time together.
Reading
Summer is the best time to awaken your child’s inner bookworm. With enough time on their hands and tasty snacks to eat, they’ll be more amenable to reading a book in the sun. Fiction stories in both English and vernacular languages aid the creative development of children while also improving their linguistic skills and vocabulary. Reading a book also teaches a child to focus and summarise points, helping develop their logical thinking and critical reasoning skills.
Stargazing/ Birdwatching
Gazing at the stars on nights children are too excited to sleep will help develop their knowledge of astronomy while calming them down and making them sleepy. Ask them to record how many big and small stars they can see, which constellations they can identify, and what all this tells them about space and the distance between them and the earth.
Math with playing cards
Uno or playing cards are a great way to develop counting and math skills in children. Create equations with cards and handmade plus/minus/multiplication/division signs and ask your child to solve them. Play games that involve mathematical analysis and strategy building. This includes Rummy, Solitaire, Bluff, Chaugadi etc. These are also a great way to increase family bonding and help everyone spend quality time together.
Which of these activities will your child be the most interested in?
