Keep Learning in Summer

Activities can help children build skills

By Johna Underwood

We’ve made it! Summer at last. A normal break after an almost normal year. Our students have made amazing gains socially and academically. As parents and educators, the last thing we want is for our kids to lose those gains. But summer can be synonymous with sliding back. So how can we help our children maintain and even continue to grow through summer break?

Start by helping them let go of school stress. While it was great to be back in the classroom this year, it has still been a stressful time. Summer fun can offer a break from some of those stressors. When possible, allowing time for children to play or hang out with friends can support students’ social and emotional learning. For younger children, playtime outside can help strengthen their imaginations. For older children, spending time with friends can enrich their social-emotional development.

Additionally, children need time away from screens. Video games, TV shows, movies and social media are not all bad. A limited amount of time chatting with friends, playing games, watching shows and checking out positive posts online can be fun, but not all screen time is created equal.

Children may not have the ability to know when they have spent too long on a screen or how to avoid things online that are not age appropriate. For younger children, consider setting time limits using parental controls on the devices.

Consider talking with older children about why limiting screen time can be beneficial and how they can fill their time without a screen. Teenagers especially might want to do some of their own research on limiting screen time (which might, ironically, be a really good use of screen time).

When you are out and about this summer, make learning part of every day. A bucket of side-walk chalk offers an opportunity to create art.

Hanging out at the lake or in a local park offers a chance to talk about nature and science.

A walk or a drive around town might offer a chance to talk about local history. Take a notebook or sketch pad along and encourage children to write down questions or make drawings of what they see.

When the Texas summer gets to be a little too hot, your child can read and research indoors. Speaking of indoors, card games, board games, puzzles and arts and crafts can all provide learning opportunities.

If you and your family can get away this summer, consider letting younger children make small purchases at stops along the way to learn about counting money. Or perhaps give older children a set amount for a day so they can try budgeting. A stay-cation to a local museum or gallery can provide an array of learning possibilities, many free of charge.

And, because parents also need a vacation during the summer, day camps and sleep-away camps offered through local organizations can provide new learning and socializing options for children while giving parents a break.

Public libraries often have summer activities for all ages and interests. Many public schools also offer a variety of summer day camps and activities for students in their districts. For older children, summer can also be a good time to explore other interests through volunteer opportunities, summer internships or jobs.

Whatever your summer plans include, the best way to help children avoid the summer slide is to find the little moments in each day when they can learn, be creative and interact positively with others while enjoying summer fun.

Johna Underwood teaches English at Gatesville High School.