During the summer, homeschool families have a decision to make. Will we continue summer learning or take some time off from our family’s homeschool routine?
For my family, summer is a time to relax. We enjoy traveling and spending some time together closer to home. This means we aren’t able to continue our homeschool routine as normal during the summer.
But I still want my kids to continue learning. I know it’s important for them to keep practicing their new skills. So how can we prevent the summer slide?
During the summer, I like to use my children’s interests as a jumping-off point for learning. Are you curious what that looks like? These summer learning ideas will help you follow your child’s lead and have fun in your homeschool this summer!
Take a Trip
Family vacations are a great way to inspire learning in your homeschool this summer. With a little bit of research beforehand, just about any vacation can be turned into a fun learning experience for your family. Is there a historical landmark near the place you will be visiting? An art or science museum? A natural area that your family can explore? Take some time before leaving to research the area and choose an attraction or two that you will visit with your kids.
- Before You Leave
Before you leave for your trip, help your kids get excited about what they will be learning. Plan a trip to the library to check out some books about the area you will be visiting. Or explore and research the location online with your kids. This is a great learning opportunity, and it will help your kids think about questions they would like to ask. - During the Trip
During the trip, make sure you have resources available for your kids to learn more about what they are seeing. Can you arrange a guided tour of the location? Or bring resources along to help? Consider bringing a guide for seashell identification to the beach, or a birdwatching book on a hike, for example. - After You Return
Make sure to capitalize on your child’s excitement after the trip. Are there questions that came up that you and your child could research together? Could you find more books to read about what you saw and learned? This is a great way to help kids remember the experience and continue to learn about a topic they are interested in.
Celebrate a Holiday or Event
Any time kids celebrate a holiday or event is a great time to add in some learning. During a holiday celebration, kids can learn about the history of the holiday. They can explore the traditions of how the holiday is celebrated, in their own culture or around the world. And they can look for opportunities to be of service to others.
Major events are also a great way to get kids excited about learning. This summer, the Olympic Games are the perfect opportunity for a fun homeschool lesson. Families can learn about the culture and traditions of different participating countries. Kids can keep track of medals earned by different countries and in different events for a fun math lesson. Kids may even enjoy learning about different sports with sports worksheets and hands-on activities.
Try Something New
Summer is the perfect time to try something new with your child! I like to include some of the activities that we don’t have time for during the regular homeschool year throughout the summer.
Summer is also a great time to focus on life skills with your child. Can you teach your child some cooking skills? How to do laundry or change the oil in your car? How to balance a checkbook or make change?
You can make many of these activities into a game. Kids might enjoy playing store with a play cash register or learning how to sew with lacing cards. Your child will learn and remember better when they are having fun learning something new.
Practice Reading and Math
Even if you are taking some time off from homeschooling over the summer, it is important to practice reading and math with your child all year long. These are the skills that are most likely to be lost without consistent practice.
One of the best ways to encourage summer reading is to take regular trips to the library over the summer. Allow even young children to pick out books that look interesting to them. Spend time reading together as a family regularly.
Kids might enjoy coloring a picture of what they are reading as well. Kids learning to read and write may enjoy fun activities like creating an alphabet tracing booklet or writing a letter to a pen pal.
Math skills are also important to practice all summer long. Rather than using a math curriculum, summer is a great time to review skills that kids need to practice. Families can play board games or card games together to practice counting and adding. Activities like color by number are a great way to sneak in some extra math practice as well.
Whether or not your family chooses to continue homeschooling over the summer, these summer learning ideas will help you prevent the summer slide and enjoy learning together all summer long.
Thank you to Sarah at Homeschooling 4 Him for writing this Crew Article.
How do you spend your summer?
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