These fun summer activities will help prevent summer slide in children and make for a fun summer experience!
Please note that this blog post is sponsored. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Have you heard of summer slide? It is when a child or student loses some of the their skill levels and reading levels achieved throughout the school year. Summer break here in the USA is really long. It can be looked at as 2 1/2 months without much mental and brain stimulation.
In this post today, I want to share with you some ideas on how to prevent summer slide and suggest ways you can use this newfound excess time in your child’s day to encourage experimentation, foster growth and provide mental stimulation.
Fun Summer Activities To Prevent Summer Slide
1. Read together
What better way to grow a love for reading and increase your child’s reading level than to take turns reading a chapter book together. This is such a lovely way to spend time together while increasing your child’s vocabulary too. I know that it is often thought that when your child can read on their own, that it is no longer beneficial for you to read aloud to them but that isn’t true. Listening to you read unfamiliar words aloud in a book means that your child will know how to pronounce these words when they come across them during their own reading time.
When my son was struggling with his reading level a few years ago, having him read books aloud to me not only improved his reading level, it took him from the bottom reading level to the top reading level in his class. You cannot get better results than that in such a short time. I wrote a whole post about why reading together as a family is important.
We read together every single night and not only has this been great for their reading level and vocabulary, but their confidence has really increased too.
2. Do science experiments
Science experiments will definitely be amongst the most fun summer activities for kids, they can be done right throughout the year. There are so many science experiment videos on YouTube, including our families Fun With Mama’s Kids channel, our science experiments for kids playlist and if you prefer a blog post format, I have a lot of easy science experiments for kids here on the blog too. I highly suggest you start with making slime, creating play dough or the baking soda vinegar science experiment reaction.
3. Send them to a good STEM summer camp, like iD Tech
Do you know what STEM stands for? STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. STEM is a part of your child’s everyday lives as well as important for their future careers. According to the U.S. Department Of Commerce, STEM related jobs are increasing at 17% a year and STEM degree holders have a higher income level even when doing non-STEM careers. STEM education helps increase critical thinking and innovation.
I was SO excited to find iD Tech, an awesome STEM camp. iD Tech has 50 cutting edge courses, over 20 years of experience, small class sizes, world class staff, they use top of the line software and have 150 prestigious locations. You will likely find a location close to home!
Each instructor has a maximum of 5-10 students. That means more individualized attention for your child.
Students ages 7-19 can learn to code, design video games, produce videos, design Fortnite-inspired levels, mod Minecraft, create with Roblox, engineer robots, model and print 3D characters, work with AI and machine learning, build laptops and so much more.
When we had a look at the class list, we had a hard time choosing just one! My 12 year old son finally settled on class called Build and Code Your Own Take Home Laptop. He will learn how to assemble a laptop, code with Python to create games and use the Linux OS. I can’t wait to report back to you all about my son’s thoughts on the class.
Sessions sell out quickly so go here to book your child’s class today!
iD Tech has graciously agreed to offer Fun With Mama readers $75 off your registration$75 off your registration. Use code NADI19
4. Get educational apps
Devices have become a part of our everyday lives and that’s why it is important to fill your child’s devices with good educational apps. I suggest you rotate apps constantly, otherwise children will get bored. On our last air travel experience, I geted an airplane themed app. My daughter LOVED it. Not only did she learn a lot of fun vocabulary words, but she also got to role play through something she was also experiences in real life.
5. Tutor your child in subjects they need a little help in.
The school year can be really busy with the long school day, homework and extra sports. Summer is always a great time to touch up on skills and subjects your child may need a little more help in. This will help keep their brain active and give them a great start to the school year, when they get back to school in August. Make it fun by turning it into a game.
6. Spend time outside exploring.
There is a lot to be noticed outside. Go on a nature walk with your children, have them look at insects, watch how they walk or fly. Going outside can be so refreshing. Hand them a magnifying glass for a little more educational fun.
7. Play board games together
I’m sure this one may come as a bit of a surprise, but playing board games teaches your child A LOT of important lessons. Easy board games teach children learn how to take turns and how to manage their emotions. Some games require teamwork, while others will require children to use their thinking skills. Check out my list of the Best Board Games For Families To Play Together, or if you have a preschooler then these 9 Preschool + Toddler Board Games Are Educational And Fun!
How are you planning to prevent summer slide in your children this summer? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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