Grandparent Camp summer learning activities for grandkids can help make learning fun without them knowing that’s your intention. Learning through summer activities can be fun for kids because it allows more time for exploration and discovery.
Find tips for parents and grandparents on how to create fun summer learning activities…
Summer is here and, as always, goes too fast for me. As a teacher, I know how important it is to keep the learning momentum going with well planned summer activities for kids. But, I also know how difficult it is to motivate the kids to spend some time on their studies when the temptation to ride their bike, hang out with friends, swim, or spend time on things they can’t normally do when they are in school. Take learning outside…
Fun Summer Learning Activities -Â Grandparent Camp
Take a fun approach to learning. Grandparents and the grandkids will enjoy summer time together even more! Children learn best when they enjoy their summer activities. Don’t you? And, as I’ve said many times before, fun summer time activities help create a closer bond and create long-lasting memories.
Tips for Parents and Grandparents
Fun, summer learning activities also build self-esteem and self-confidence when they are well-planned for success at your child’s level of learning. Ana Homayoun, author of That Crumpled Paper Was Due Last Week – Helping Disorganized and Distracted Boys Succeed in School and Life (Penguin, Jan. 2010) – (www.thatcrumpledpaper.com), offers interesting tips and tricks to keep your kids stimulated and on their mental a-game this summer as they unwind and get prepared for the next school year.
- Detach your kids from their tablet, iphone, and video activities and live in a non-virtual world as much as possible.
- Stop overscheduling – an overscheduled kid can feel that there is never enough time to re-energize, regroup, and have unstructured free time. Downtime is critical for kids today and it’s vital that a child is actively engaged in things they’re passionate about, not just time fillers that cause burn out and stress.
- Nutrition: more water, more calcium, more SLEEP. Summertime is the ideal time to rejuvenate.
- Lemonade stands – it’s OK to work over the summer and be independent particularly outside of any family business.
Summer Learning Activities Tips Keep Kids Learning (in a fun way)
Ana Homayoun is also the founder of Green Ivy Educational Consulting. Exclusively for my readers, Ana has contributed the following fun learning tips to help you help your children:
- Working on Penmanship and Fine Motor Skills –
- Have your kids create a comic strip – pre-planning, brainstorming, story board
- Works on artistic creativity, humor, fine motor skills and writing skills.
- New technology does not always give kids the ability to practice their hand/eye coordination.
- Writing skills and activities like these can make a big difference and help them get engaged in a fun way.
- Plan a Weekly Outdoor Outing – visit your local nature center, hiking trails, historic sites.
- Have your kids get online or use guide books to plan a weekly place they want to explore.
- Set aside a half day and have them work with you to plan the journey – you will be amazed what happens once kids get engaged!
- Have them pick places (if you have several kids, they can each rotate a week) and get involved with all stages of planning – getting directions, finding ticket prices, planning lunches, etc.
- Summer activities can include learning to read a map, nature survival skills, plant identification, gardening, budgeting.
- Get them into the Kitchen – Plan and prepare a meal.
- This summer, have your kids pick their favorite breakfast, lunch and dinner and learn how to make the recipe.
- Pick something challenging (and healthy?), but not overwhelming. Their goal should be to make it on their own (with parent supervision if the stove or oven is involved!).
- They can also create a recipe box for themselves with all their favorite creations. If they love spaghetti sauce, have them learn how to make it from scratch. Pancakes and smoothies, same thing.
- Write a shopping list and shop together on a budget…read the nutrition labels, too!
- Again, if they write it down, it encourages them to practice their handwriting in a fun way!!
Share your fun summer activities with us. How did you include fun learning in your summer activities?
These are great ideas. I especially like the idea of having grandchildren plan outings. If they are involved in every step of the process, you are more likely to get “buy-in.”