Keeping Skills Sharp

Posted by Susan Carney Jun 8, 2007

While summer vacation is usually thought of as a time for rest and relaxation, that doesn’t meant that learning has to take a vacation, too. There are many fun ways to integrate reading and math skills into your everyday activities with kids. This allows kids the opportunity to reinforce and practice learned skills as well as gain exposure to new ones.

Check out Fun Family Activities That Teach for ideas you can easily adapt to youth programs. This article has ideas for utilizing cooking and gardening to hone math skills, as well as some ideas for getting kids involved with books.

What else can you do? Check the weekend section of your local paper for educational activities and events going on in your area. Many of these are free or might offer reduced group rates. Try museums, aquariums, zoos, and historical buildings, cultural festivals and fairs. Increase kids’ interest by getting them involved in a writing or art project in the theme of your trip a few days ahead of time.

Help kids learn and develop responsibility at the same time by assigning trip related tasks. Assign a few students to map your travel distance, calculate the amount of gas needed, and find the best bargain. Assign another small group to plan snacks and drinks for the trip, staying within a certain budget. Another group can write up a trip itinerary with departure and arrival times, calculating time for travel, rest stops, meals, and the event itself.

With a little planning and creativity, almost any activity can enhance learning!