The lazy days of summer can lead to learning loss for some children. When school is out, children are less focused on traditional academics and participate in more play-based activities. Luckily, learning doesn’t only happen in a formal setting. There are many opportunities to help your child this summer that may already be built into your typical day. By planning activities that are both entertaining and educational, your child can enjoy summer without losing their academic progress. Here are some simple ideas to support your child’s summer learning and keep it fun!

Set Up a Home Learning Space

Having a dedicated area for home learning can help children not only in the summer, but all year round. By setting up an area for your child and building a routine, you are encouraging healthy learning habits from the start. Summer is a great time to create a learning space in your home. Include your child by having them select special pencils, papers, and scissors to use. These small touches give children a sense of ownership of the space and motivate them to learn once it’s all set up!

Create a Calendar

A great way to help your child stick to healthy routines is by keeping a calendar of fun learning activities you can do together. You can also plan educational outings ahead of time. You can keep costs down by visiting libraries and parks, or by using other free resources. Struggling with how to start your own calendar? Check out these Waterford monthly calendars by age group:

Make Time for Learning

Setting aside time for learning quickly becomes a habit. All it takes is 15-20 minutes each day for your child to retain and strengthen important skills. Young children may not have the attention span to spend 15-20 minutes on one activity, so using several different activities to fill up your child’s designated learning time is a great idea! Check out the list below for some quick activities to do while on the go.

Summer Literacy & Language Activities

There are many opportunities to practice literacy skills throughout the day. It can be as simple as singing a song or memorizing a poem together. Here are some other simple literacy ideas to check out this summer:

• Discuss the days of the week on a calendar
• Play “I Spy” to practice using descriptive words
• Write one sentence in a journal each day
• Identify letters on signs while out and about
• Circle power words found in a magazine or newspaper
• Practice tracing letters with a pencil
• Clap and count the syllables in words together
• Take turns saying one word at a time to create a silly sentence
• Talk about the sounds that each letter of the alphabet makes
• Make up poems by rhyming words together
• Look through photo albums and describe the pictures
• Play “Go Fish” and talk about how the cards match
• Have a scavenger hunt around the house for things that are opposites

Summer Science & Math Activities

There are many activities that you do each day that can be used to bolster science and math skills as well. Discussing fractions while eating pizza is a delicious way to help your child develop critical thinking skills and real world connections to math concepts. Here are some more ideas to try out this summer:

• Discuss the weather each day
• Practice telling time on a digital and analog clock
• Discuss astronomy while looking up at the stars
• Explore weight and volume while preparing meals
• Talk about gardening while doing yard work or watering plants
• Practice spatial awareness skills by doing puzzles
• Notice the shapes of objects at home or outside
• Sort and group clothes while folding the laundry
• Measure items around the house with a ruler
• Estimate the number of items in your cart while shopping
• Count the trees you pass while driving
• Play a card game to work on strategic thinking skills
• Collect and add up spare change

Summer Read Alouds

Reading together each day creates happy summer memories. Check out these 10 summer picture books that are sure to get any child excited to read:

Need more ideas? Join the fun and participate in the Waterford summer reading challenge!

Keeping summer learning going doesn’t have to be stressful. Take it one day at a time. Just by adding these learning activities to your daily routine, you can help your child prepare for school all summer long.