Summer break can extend up to a long period and this can cause several side effects in children. Although it is a time meant for fun, the constant disengagement from studies might create a summer slide. It is a very common phenomenon that makes students lose the progress that they have been making throughout the academic year.
Also, when schools open up after the summer break, they don’t go back and revise the lost portions. They start right from where they had left off a few months back. This makes it super difficult for students to cope up after having lost their progress. However, it is extremely difficult to get children to study during the summer break. It is the time for fun and games. Nobody wants to study during this phase. Especially small children who do not have the awareness for self-discipline.
Thus, moderation has to be introduced in the summer schedule so that studies can be a part of fun and games too. With creative ideas and innovation, studies can be fun and summer breaks can become awesome. There will be no crying and nagging for studying during summer break. This article talks about some fun activities that can make studying fun.
Include games in studying: It can be difficult to hold children’s attention. They are young and their concentration is scattered, especially if they don’t like the subject in concern. That is why if their studying can be converted into games, it can be made into something fun. This will also keep the balance between work and games during the summer break. Including games like Scrabble, Taboo, Abacus, Mathwizard, etc, students can learn while playing. This will also increase engagement and improve their mental health in times of isolated summer breaks during the pandemic.
Hire an expert: Amidst work, it can get difficult for parents to indulge in their children’s academics. Moreover, most of the time parents also don’t have the expertise of teaching and end up creating agitation against studies in their children’s mind. That is why hiring an expert who can guide your children and prevent them from suffering a summer slide is the best way to go about it. These experts are usually very good at dealing with children. That is why it is suggested all the more that you hire someone who knows how to do their job and get the right results at the end of the summer break.
Take kids on field trips: Children remember more when all their senses are indulged. Thus, rather than just reading/writing and registering, if children are physically experiencing the places they read about, they will never forget about it. Moreover, children can also get a little lonely from staying indoors all the time. Summertime is meant to be spent outdoors. Utilize it to plan an educational trip. If they have read about some local history, take them to experience it. Plan museum visits and farms so that they can experience and learn better.
Use the internet to expand their horizon: The Internet offers unlimited options for learning. Using it, children can take up some extra coursework during their summer break. It will help them expand their horizon and tap into unseen opportunities. Familiarize them with good educational movies and expand their thirst for knowledge. This will also help in building a holistic approach to studying.
Backyard Science: Perform fun and messy experiments at home. Most children love making a mess. Parents can also participate with them. Spending good moments with children facilitates healthy growth. Try to do the safe experiments that they learn in their school. When they see the results, they will automatically understand the process better. Mugging up has never helped anybody. Understanding is the key to learning and remembering. Children have really short attention spans. All they want to do is jump from one game to another. So, as a parent, it is your job to accommodate studies within this game time. Studying doesn’t always have to be a rigorous, brain-draining session with pen or paper. Learning is a very natural process and if channelized the right way, it might not feel like hard work at all. Include fun activities in your child’s schedule and watch them learn throughout the summer break.
