Whether you’re a parent who makes sure your children usually stay on top of their study game during summer vacation or not, things have changed drastically for us all. Let’s face it. As parents, it can be a terrifying realization that our children might not be able to attend a traditional school setting once the summer break is over. Or at least not in the same sense as they once did. However, now’s not the time to dwell on uncertainty. As parents, we act as pillars for our children, and now more than ever, it’s our time to help them stay motivated and find stability when staying home this summer.
Give Them a Routine
Summertime is often thought of as the time to take a break from academics, but that can be a mistake. It doesn’t take long for your child to lose a grasp on what they’ve learned throughout the year if they’re not routinely practicing their studies. Just like you wouldn’t expect a beginner violinist to get any good without frequent practice, patience, and repetition, the same can be said for our kids.
A summer routine doesn’t have to be grueling or cause stress. Just make sure to routinely carve out time, either once a day or a few times a week, to partake in fun activities that just so happen to be educational. Get creative with it. Virtually “visit” a museum as a family. Watch a documentary on a time in history that they were learning about before summer break. Create an art project based around an age-appropriate science experiment. You can even hold your own family-wide spelling be. Whatever it is, mark it on a calendar, and make sure there’s time for studies. This ultimately helps your children from falling behind during a long summer break.
Virtual Hangouts and Study time
Whether you’re still practicing social distancing, or just staying cautious when it comes to extended families, it can be tough on children of any age to be separated from their friend groups for a prolonged period of time. But with the plethora of technology we all use on a daily basis, it’s not difficult at all to physically see and speak with friends and family, even if we’re not in the same room. Which brings us to our next point. Schedule a time for your child to “visit” with their friends virtually, but talk with other parents about making it an educational experience. Sure, your child might be more inclined to talk to their friend about everything but their studies, but it’s a good opportunity to help your child have a great time studying with friends they’re not able to see in a traditional school setting.
Encourage Reading and Writing Time
It can be tough to get your children away from digital screens, even on a good day. Summer break is usually the time that children spend a good majority of their day on their phones, computer, or playing games. It’s not a negative thing to take a break every once in a while from the screens we use daily. That’s why you can kill two birds with one stone by encouraging a reading and writing hour. As a family, this is a block of time each day or bi-weekly that each family member puts their devices down and chooses to read from a book or write in a journal or doodling some art. There are no rules to this apart from the lessened use of screens. Simply encouraging time away from the cellphone and their hands on a good book or penning a story of their own can keep them in a studious mindset, even when we’re on summer vacation or away from the brick and mortar school rooms.
