The summer holidays have officially begun and that means that your kids will be wanting to ditch the homework and get into the sun.
Parenting on Female First
Having downtime is perfectly fine, but it’s important to keep your child’s mind active whilst away from school for the summer.
LeapFrog and educational expert Janette Wallis have created these tips to keep your child’s mind active over the summer!
1. Going away on holiday? Travel diaries are great, but may be too much for young children – try writing a postcard to a good friend or favourite relative with your child this summer.2. Make a bee-line for the library during the holidays. This summer 98% of UK library services will offer the 2013 Summer Reading Challenge. Last year the challenge, which encourages children to read six books over the holidays, was taken up by 780,000 children.
3. LeapFrog research found that 51% of UK Dads lack time to read with their children owing to work commitments. Twice as many men than woman say they miss out on bedtime stories as a result of work hours. The longer summer evenings (with slightly later bedtimes?!) are a good time for Dad to have a go! Here’s a top tip Dad, turn the book upside down or skip a page to encourage your child to correct you!
4. Word families are groups of words that have the same spelling pattern. Children who understand word families have an easier time learning to spell and decode (sound out) words.
5. Sunny day? How about growing flowers or veg in pots, creating a wormery, raising a silkworm or just go fishing – then help or challenge your child write about it in their very own summer nature journal. They can write about what they did, what they discovered and even draw some pictures of their outdoor adventures.
6. Especially busy day? Make a plan ahead of time to work reading into it. Children can be reading when they least expect it –at the park, standing alongside you in the kitchen or even in shops, Why not put your little one in charge of the shopping list today and get your child to help write your list or read out what’s next on the list? Or ask them to find things in the supermarket beginning with select letters, for example ‘find me something that begins with a ‘B’.
7. Set a daily time to read to your children and try to stick to it! Children (and parents!) can be too exhausted for reading at bedtime. What about first thing in the morning, or immediately after supper? Remember, reading aloud is not just about them learning to read, it’s also one of the best way to build their spoken vocabulary, attention skills, and comprehension.
Tagged in Parenting Advice Parenting Tips School Holidays