Guest Post: Summer Education Tips

The following is a guest post by Winter Harris the editor of Christ Centered Home Magazine. She shares her own tips and tricks to keep your kids learning, yet having fun, this summer in Prince William County!

Guest Post: Summer Education

by Winter Harris

One of the most talked about problems for children during the summer is how much information they lose from the previous school year because there is not an option at home to continuing building upon what they have learned. As a mom, I understand how difficult this can be when you are used to transporting kids from school to practices and other extra-curricular activities. If I’m being completely honest, the end of the school year signals a welcome break for more than just the kids; Mom is officially on “Summer Vacation” as well. However, the older my kids got, I began to realize the importance of them retaining the information they had learned during the school year.

I strive to set my kids up for success so I went on mission to find the least stressful way to promote learning throughout the summer. Thanks to our dear friend, the Internet, we don’t have to go far to find the tools we need to make things fun and interesting. My children range in age, so I have a variety of suggestions you can use.

• First and foremost, encourage your children to read at least 15-30 minutes a day. This alone can help them keep the mental juices flowing. Use your local library to check out a variety of subjects, and not just the ones they enjoy reading. There are great fiction and non-fiction books that promote learning without seeming too obviously educational. My children like to read books about history and facts. My son can tell me information from the 1800s that I had no clue about.    
• Use online resources like ABC Mouse, Disney Jr and Sprout Online that include free printable worksheets, grade appropriate games and learning challenges. I’m huge on electronic devices, so if you have a tablet or device, utilize those free educational apps. My kids will jump at the chance to play on my tablet. I would suggest any apps by IntelliJoy.   
• Take field trips to places like the Manassas Battlefield Park, Bull Run Regional Library or the Teaching Garden in Bristow. There are an insurmountable number of options to choose from in Prince William County, but these are some of the ones we frequent.  
• At home I like to choose a letter of the alphabet each week and attach a scripture to it. We have a large empty pretzel container and each time they can repeat the scripture back to me or name something that starts with our letter of the week then they get to put their name in the jar. We have a weekly drawing and that child wins a prize. We attach age friendly scriptures to promote fairness in the game. This concept could also be applied to poems, historical speeches, or the Bill of Rights as a way to promote memorization.

Summers can be relaxing and educational. As moms our job is to do our best in finding the balance between the two. Try visiting the National Summer Learning Association to get the facts and to find additional resources. While I get the importance of taking a load off, I just want to ensure my kids don’t dump the whole load and that they are adequately prepared to start the new school year refreshed, ready to learn. Enjoy your Summer!

Winter resides in Northern Virginia with her husband and four children.  She enjoys traveling, photography, scrapbooking, writing, socializing, and decorating.  She attends Fireside Church, where she is a part of the worship team.  She owns Christ Centered Home Magazine, a modern periodical for today’s woman of faith.  She is active in the non-profit community, member of Off the Field PWA, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Meant 2 Live foundation. You can follow Winter on Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest.