Summer especially, can be the most special time of year for kids; the long hot days filled with sun, play, pools, and cool dreamy evenings that never seem to end.
For young students, it also means a much-needed break from the rigors of daily formal education.
However, that long break can sometimes eat into the momentum and progress a young one has made throughout the year, which also means heading into the fall, they’ve lost some of the progress they’ve made and will have some ground to cover starting the next grade.
Thankfully, it doesn’t have to be this way.
There are lots of fun activities and options available to parents and their young readers over the summer that will not only provide the fun break they need from school but also provide the mental stimulation and growth so that they enter the next school year ahead of the curve instead of behind.
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Treasure Hunt
This is a fun game that will get the neurons firing on all cylinders and keep kids entertained for hours.
All you need is a prize like a chocolate treat or a toy and some pieces of paper or cards.
Begin by writing out a trail of clues, each one giving a hint to where the next clue can be found. Eventually, the last clue will hint at the location of the hidden treasure.
The great thing is you can make the hunt last as long or as short as you like. Hints can also be modified to suit older or younger children.
The older the child, the more vague or tricky the hint.
For younger children, simply provide more direct and obvious clues like, “the next clue is hidden under something that holds clothes” (laundry basket).
This game is sure to delight and keep your kids’ brains engaged all afternoon.
And the best part is that it’s just as fun for the parent or guardian watching the kids race around the house or the park for the next clue.
Scrabble for Kids
While the regular version of Scrabble may be a little too advanced for a younger reader, you can easily modify the base game to create a version for younger players.
Grab the letters from a Scrabble game and sort out some of the more common letters and vowels and task the player with creating three-letter words.
If they’re having trouble, you can use an unscrambler tool on this site to help them see how many words are possible.
Not only is it a fun pastime on a rainy afternoon, but it’s a great way to become more familiar with words and spelling, and each word they discover will give them a rush of self-confidence and discovery.
Coloring Books
The tried and true activity that has entertained kids, and adults, for generations; the coloring book!
A simple book of outlines in any genre imaginable from dinosaurs to princesses, there’s sure to be the perfect coloring book out there to match almost every child.
Along with engaging their imagination, the art of coloring in the lines, especially with a pencil crayon, can help develop those crucial fine-motor skills that also benefit writing skills.
Whether it’s going outside and finding a tree to color under on a beautiful day, or sitting inside on a rainy day with a mug of hot cocoa and getting into the zone as your kids make a black and white scene pop with color, this is one quick and easy activity that is never going out of style.
Activity Books
Speaking of coloring books, activity books are a great way to facilitate some student-led learning.
Whether it’s math, spelling, mazes, or matching games, an activity book is a perfect distraction for long road trips or those times when mom and dad get tired of hearing “I’m bored!”
And the best part is with so many different themes and movie-tie-ins there is bound to be the perfect connection to almost any kind, helping make learning effortless and exciting.
Audiobooks
Books are great! But sometimes an audiobook can be a great way to engage kids’ imaginations while having snack time or cleaning up the toy room.
Combined with a coloring or activity book you have a recipe for a quiet, educational afternoon.
They can also be an effective way to wind down ahead of bedtime, and the ability to stop and start at any time means you can look forward to the next chapter each night.
Word Games
There are so many great word games that encourage creativity and literacy, even simple ones like I Spy.
Try spying objects and tell your kids what letter the word starts with. Or you could suggest a rhyming game and take turns posing the question “I rhyme with pup.
I am a (cup).” Or simply task your kids with finding all the objects in the house that start with a specific letter!
Storytelling
Help instill not only a love of stories but a love of storytelling by encouraging your child to tell you a story while you write it down for them.
Then take some time to print it out and leave space at the top of each page for your kiddo to draw a picture of what takes place on that page.
If you can, put it together with some binding and a cover, and even an author bio page at the end. Boom! Your kid is a published author!
You can even mark out space on the bookshelf for your children’s on-going sagas and watch their confidence and imagination grow stronger and stronger.
In the end, there are so many fun ways to make summer an exciting and educational time for kids of all ages, whether it’s games, treasure hunts, activities, good old-fashioned books, or audiobooks.
And not only will you make sure your child is ready and has kept up their reading level for the next grade when summer comes to an end, but you will also have created a memorable where anything is possible and the phrase “I’m bored” is hardly ever heard.