How to Make Learning Fun for Children During the Summer

Summer learning loss, also known as the summer slide, can be detrimental to academic growth for children. After working hard all school year, a few months off from classes can reverse months of learning. While the loss of learning varies from grade level, family income, and subject matter, math and reading skills are often the first skills to decline. With a little bit of preparation, parents can incorporate learning opportunities that are actually fun into the summer so that children can continue to excel in school year after year without worrying about relearning forgotten concepts.

Various enrichment programs such as the math and English programs at Best in Class Education Center, apply foundational concepts to real-world situations all year round. Best in Class is always thinking of ways for students and parents to find new learning opportunities. Here are six things to add to your summer to do list that will keep kids learning all year round:

Get Active
Healthy bodies lead to healthy minds, and with extra time for outdoor activities and playtime in the summer, getting your kids active every single day will keep their minds active for learning. Turn off the TV and have your student play outside and make up their own games to explore the environment around them. Children learn through their senses, and being outdoors is a great way to expose all their senses to new things.

Travel Writing
Planning a trip for the summer? Add activities into your travel preparations! Have your student write postcards about the places you visit or write journal entries during your trip about each day’s activities and highlights. Keeping their handwriting and grammar skills active during the summer will ease the transition back to school in the fall.

Summer Reading
Practice makes perfect when it comes to reading and a student’s level of reading. Make summer reading fun by letting your student pick which books or topics they want to read about. Set a goal of a certain number of pages or chapters to read each day or week so they can stay on track. Set a time for reading whether it’s at night before bed or during the day for some downtime after activities.

Road Trip
Taking a road trip during the summer to visit family or friends? Make it educational along the way! Research historical sites to stop at, museums to visit, or other fun attractions where your student can get excited about learning. For a long drive, audiobooks can also be a great option for capturing students’ attention. You can even play word-based games during the ride by pointing out different things you see that start with different letters.

Cooking With Kids
Cooking any time of the year is a fun way to engage your students into learning, but you might have more time and different seasonal recipes to try out once school is out. Have your student help with measurements, reading the recipe, and following directions for a fun learning activity.

Find an Academic Summer Camp
Summer camps don’t have to be solely focused on fun and games! By doing your research, you can find and select a summer camp with an academic focus so that learning doesn’t stop while children are out of school and enjoying camp. By including a variety of activities such as arts & crafts, theater, math, science, health and nutrition, and games, kids won’t miss out on a fun summer camp experience while they continue to learn.

To help your student exceed his or her academics goals, a local resource, Best in Class Education Center, offers a variety of customized, supplemental enrichment courses and tutoring options to ensure your students are equipped with the tools they need this school year.

Learn more about the Best in Class Summer Camp programs available here: https://www.bestinclasseducation.com/programs/summercamp