Early learning meets summer fun

Summer is an ideal time to promote coincidental early learning through fun activities. Instead of being concerned about the dreaded ‘summer slide’, parents are wise to find purpose in play with life skills developed naturally, given the right opportunities.

All year at school, kids have been given leveled books for their group to read, and a once-a-week trip to the school library. Now they have an opportunity to choose the stories they want to enjoy themselves. There is time to dwell on the pictures, find Waldo, listen to a favorite storyteller or simply daydream about how the book might end.

Children have spent ten months practicing words for spelling tests, writing what they have been told to write about in various subjects in order to cover a demanding curriculum, and having to edit their work. Now they have a chance to be free of writing rules for a while.

Math has been done in a busy classroom, in a specific time frame, each unit ending with a test. What if there were other activities that used these same skills, outside of the classroom?

How many lemonade stands are in business today? The iced-tea stand run by an Aurora, Ontario second grade student has steady business on the weekends it is open, and for an eight year-old, his ability to identify, add and make change with coins is impressive. Recently he has been graphing the sales to work out the most popular flavors of iced tea so he’ll have enough stock on hand for the holiday weekend. He takes great pride in his business because he’s got a job like his dad (on his own terms).

Check out the attached list for some more examples of how reading, writing and math get a fun summer workout without feeling like school.

Welcome to summer, everyone!

Reading

Summer is a time to forget that there ever was such a thing as reading levels. It’s a time for browsing in libraries and bookstores, flipping through books and magazines outdoors and losing track of time.

Perhaps there will be an opportunity to share family tales passed from down through generations over a campfire, or at the cottage. Maybe some classics of yesteryear have been republished (or packed away) and it’s time they make their comeback. The important thing is that the reading time is fun, and does not feel like homework.

Writing

Writing gets easier with repetition, and more difficult with neglect. A child who writes regularly and for real purposes gets motivated practice without being conscious of the fact he ‘practicing’ at all - especially when he is engaged in a fun activity. Communicating on a computer is still considered writing.

A child who is composing an email to a friend or relative still has to formulate a message with a purpose, have a writer’s ‘voice’, ensure that what she is writing makes sense, sounds right and is spelled in a way that looks right (phonetically). She will probably be aware of the need for spaces between the words, and possibly punctuation. A child who sees her parents using a computer or phone to send texts or emails will be very interested in mimicking this ‘grown-up’ behaviour.

Imagine all of the activities that involve writing for fun: role-playing, planning adventures, making up games. The possibilities are endless!

Math

There are all kinds of ways to slip math concepts into a child’s day in the name of fun. Lego and video games such as Minecraft and Flow come to mind. Cooking and baking introduce fractions and measurement. Building with blocks and talking about the structures and shapes is geometry. Consider the geometry in art. To draw a house, start with a square or rectangle, add a triangle for the roof.

Counting activities are fun when they include treats, especially treats to be shared equally. If a child is looking forward to an outing, that child will be motivated to learn about time by watching the clock. Kids who are saving their money for something learn much the same way. Monopoly Junior is excellent for learning about money, while Snakes and Ladders presents an opportunity to practice counting, and having conversations about addition and subtraction.