Fun Ways to Learn... Even in the Summer

After a long, hectic school year, every student deserves a little downtime during the summer months, but it is important for your child to continue to exercise the brain. For busy parents, finding safe, educational and affordable summer activities for their children can induce frustration on both sides, particularly when the child is ready to slam the textbooks shut for three months. But learning certainly doesn't have to be all about homework and tests. Here are several suggestions to help you come up with fun summertime activities for your young learner:

Help your child take on a fun project.
Cultivate your child's curiosity by suggesting creative projects that might interest them. If your child is fascinated with planting grass in a cup of dirt, imagine what fun it might be to plant a small garden in the yard and track its progress with daily pictures and notations in a journal. Or perhaps your young reader may enjoy a challenge to read as many books as possible. Set age-appropriate reading goals for your child and promise rewards for hitting each milestone—a night of pizza and ice cream, a trip to the movies or some other small incentive that will motivate your child to get started. Whatever your child chooses, show an interest. Help them water or weed the garden at night or on weekends, or take on the book reading challenge yourself in an effort to lead by example.

Explore summer day or overnight camps.
Check out camps by visiting the American Camp Association Web site at www.acacamps.org, where you can narrow down a list of camps by searching on criteria such as activities, age, special needs and cost. Whether your child would enjoy eight weeks in the Adirondacks or a two-week science camp in your hometown, summer and day camps are a wonderful way for children to learn independence, enjoy new activities and make friends.

Encourage volunteer activities…or volunteer as a family.
Volunteering is a great way for children to learn to appreciate what they have, become more responsible and have fun. For older children or teens, volunteering can also develop a strong resume for college applications. Certain volunteer activities may even be a chance for your child to explore potential career interests. There are ample volunteer opportunities at an array of worthwhile organizations helping people and animals in need. Or perhaps your child would enjoy other forms of volunteer work, such as writing or photography projects for art organizations, working at the library or helping environmental groups.

Look within the community for educational activities.
Your local library is an excellent resource for summer activities, classes and programs for young people, both at the library and elsewhere. Many libraries offer story times for younger children and a wide variety of free or inexpensive classes for older children and teens. Also, your local visitors' bureau Web site may provide links to sites of other attractions that offer children's classes and activities, such as:

• Art museums or galleries.
• History museums.
• Nature and/or science museums.
• Zoos.
• Performing arts centers.
• Cultural centers.
• Other types of museums, including children's and local area interest museums.

Make a list together.
During the school year, many children become so busy that an entire summer of nonscheduled time may quickly evoke the words, "I'm bored." Nothing is wrong with a little boredom, as your child will learn quickly how to entertain themselves. However, encouraging children to write a list of things they enjoy doing will provide them plenty of ideas to conquer boredom, and the act itself is a wonderful writing exercise that requires creativity and imagination. Make your own list as well, and combine the two to see what both of you come up with.

The freedom of summertime creates the perfect opportunity for children to explore their interests without the structure of school and the classroom. Don't let your child use summer as an excuse to park themselves in front of the television. Help them find a fun—and educational—summertime activity they will enjoy.

Speak with an education consultant today about our many summer programs. Call 1-800 CAN LEARN