Ahhh… Summer! How to Keep Kids Learning, Engaged, and Happy

As parents, we both relish it and recoil at the word! Whether we look forward to having all our kids home all day, love to get outdoors in the warmer weather or dread the perpetual flurry of activity involved in coordination and planning, summer can quickly call to mind a list of pros and cons. It can also be a difficult time for keeping young kids engaged and interested.

Here are some tips that can help:

Encourage kids to explore books!

Even very young children can begin their journey into reading by developing an affinity for books and stories that you read them or they listen to. 

• Read aloud to your child! Audio books are fun too especially on car rides about town!
• Let them see you enjoy reading. Spend time reading in front of them! You can enjoy your bookclub pick or a favorite magazine while your kiddos explore their own stash of books or a pile of books you’ve selected with them.

• Visit your library or bookstore together and let them select books for their own unique interests! Browsing the racks is a fun and educational activity and puts them in control of their journey to greater literacy!.

Keep screen time to a minimum…sigh…this is no easy feat!

With data about everything from sleep disruption to trouble with social interactions, there are numerous reasons to limit it. So…try in as many ways as possible to encourage your children to spend the long days of summer enjoying better, more fruitful endeavors!

• Crafts!

The craft store is a wonderful resource in the summer! Blick Arts, Walmart and Michaels have a variety of products that can keep kids happy and busy. From stamping kits and tie dye projects, to super simple sticker crafts for little ones, craft activities improve concentration, foster creativity and develop small motor skills.

• Make the most out of screen time. Going out to a movie or creating a home movie event together is a more rewarding experience than allowing endless scrolling or mindless TV watching. Camp out on the living room floor with pillows and popcorn or create your own “Drive” in Movie activity indoors or outside (if you have a projector). 

Help them to explore their inner scientist:

• Build with legos or building blocks to create anything and everything your child can imagine! From obstacle courses for toy cars to elaborate lego kits for older children, building things gets them using their hands and their imagination.
• Make play dough or slime at home- It’s a science experiment made real.
• Bake or cook together. Allowing children to help you create in the kitchen has many benefits. From following directions and practicing math skills, to improving their hand-eye coordination, time spent in the kitchen together has a wealth of benefits.
• Get outside to observe nature! Spread birdseed out your window, create a birdbath or go on a nature walk.  

Field Trips for the win!

• Head for the zoo or a local farm and investigate different animal habitats.
• Visit a local museum and encourage your child to bring along their own sketching materials.

Whatever adventures you plan or don’t plan this summer, you can keep children engaged by expanding their exposure to books, crafts or nature at home. Summer Camp can also be a great option for filling some of the long days and weeks with even more productive and fun activities.

At Ability School’s Summer of Learning & Fun, kids ages 4 – 13 can skip the summer slide while enjoying all the fun activities of summer. Every young camper’s day is divided into academics in the morning with an afternoon filled with hands-on projects, outdoor actives and fun! Field trips, nature walks, art, crafts, and other themed activities also keep kids interested and truly engaged. For more information about Ability School or its Summer of Learning & Fun, visit our website.