It’s June! For children, this is the most exciting time of year since summer vacation is just around the corner. For parents, it’s the home stretch and you’re planning activities for your children to participate in. As a teacher, I think it is so important for students to continue with their academic studies over the summer. Studies show that students lose about one month of learning over the summer, so planning academic time over summer vacation is important.
To do this, start with a schedule. Come up with a schedule that allows time for fun activities as well as set academic time. Incorporating your child’s interests into the academic activities will help keep your children interested in the assignments. For example, if your child likes to write, maybe give them creative prompts to help them come up with their own stories. If your child likes science, do some research about something they are interested in and create a poster where they show what they’ve learned.
Here is a sample Summer Schedule: (made with my 3-year old in mind)
8:00 – 8:30 a.m. – Wake Up, Breakfast, Brush Teeth
8:30 – 8:45 a.m. – Morning Chores (make bed, tidy room)
8:45 – 9:00 a.m. – Reading Time
9:00 – 9:15 a.m. – Math & Numbers
9:15 – 9:30 a.m. – Letters & Writing
9:30- 9: 45 a.m. – Science Project
9:45 – 10:15 a.m. – Arts & Crafts
10:15- 10:30 a.m. – Cleanup
10:30-10:40 a.m. – Morning Snack
10:40 -11: 30 a.m. – Outside Play/Walk/Park
11:30 – 12:00 p.m. – Lunch
12:00 – 2: 30 p.m. – Naptime
2:30 – 3:30 p.m. – Special Activity
3:30 – 3:45 p.m. – Clean-up Time
3:45 – 4:45 p.m. – Independent Time
4:45 – 6:00 p.m. – Help Mom with Dinner
6:00 – 6:45 p.m. – Dinner Time
6:45 – 7:45 p.m. – Family Time
7:45 – 8:15 p.m. – Bath Time & Get Ready for Bed
8:15 – 8:30 p.m. – Reading Time
8:30 p.m. – Bedtime
You can always adjust your summer schedule to your child’s age. You can make variations of the schedule by having themed days: Make-It Monday, Trip Tuesday, Water Wednesday etc. You can have special activities that your child can pick from. This requires some planning on your part, but having a menu of options for your child will help them from becoming bored this summer.
It is important to vary the activities, but also have a set structure for your kids. Use Pinterest as a resource. There are a ton of free sample schedules and ideas for helping to keep your child learning and having fun this summer.
