How do you make summer school fun for your child? Keeping their interests in mind and tailoring their schedule is vital. Here are some great ways to keep your child engaged and happy in summer school!
Go Beyond The Basics
There’s an old saying that you can’t start a new habit until you break an old one. New practices are hard to create and even harder to maintain. Therefore, it’s essential to go beyond the basics in order to keep your child engaged. Beyond the basics means getting creative and finding new and exciting ways to teach your child. Try to find innovative ways to engage them. One way to do this is by turning the school curriculum into a game. You can do this by turning the school curriculum into a game that is both fun and educational at the same time. You can also try to make the school curriculum more interesting by breaking it down into smaller chunks. Kids, especially younger ones, have difficulty relating to and remembering large amounts of information. Break down the more significant concepts into small, more manageable chunks. This way, kids won’t feel as overwhelmed and will be more likely to retain the information.
Create a Learning Environment at Home
While summer school itself is an integral part of the learning process, your child’s home environment is just as important. When your child is at home and has nothing to do, boredom is almost inevitable. Boredom can lead to negative behaviors, like aggression and poor decision-making. Instead, try creating a home learning environment to keep your child engaged between classes. For example, create a space where your child can do their homework and research in a quiet, distraction-free environment. When it comes to setting up the atmosphere, let your kids have a choice in how to set up the decorations or how to organize everything to create a space they’ll actually want to stay in and spend time in. You can also try to find fun learning activities and games that your child can play with when they have downtime. One of the best ways to create a home learning environment is to involve your whole family. The entire family can help teach your child and get them excited about what they’re learning. On the flip side, they can also be there to help your child if they get stuck with a particular assignment.
Give Your Child Control Over The Classroom Environment
You want to give your child control over the classroom environment because it will help them feel empowered and more engaged in the learning process. This can also help to reduce anxiety in children. Some kids feel anxious about being in a classroom with other kids, and giving them control over the environment can help to alleviate that. When you are engaging in activities that your child controls, this can also help them build confidence. You can do many things to give your child control over the classroom environment. For example, you can ask them to help plan out the lesson schedule or let them pick which activities they do in each lesson. You can also ask them to help keep the classroom clean and organized.
Let Your Child Choose What They Learn
Kids have a lot of energy and are full of a sense of curiosity. This curiosity often leads kids to explore new and different things. This can make learning new topics difficult if they don’t have an innate interest or curiosity in them. You don’t want to force your child to learn something they have no interest in. This will only lead to frustration and disengagement with the learning process. Instead, let your child choose what they want to learn. Allowing your child to choose what they want to learn can also help to alleviate anxiety. If your child is genuinely interested in a particular topic, they will actually be excited to learn instead of being stressed about the material. On the flip side, letting your children take the rein when it comes to furthering their education can also be used to help your child explore new areas of interest and expand their knowledge outside of the classroom. Giving your children the freedom of choice can be helpful if you have someone struggling to find something they are interested in or passionate about.
Don’t Let Your Child Be Idle In Between Lessons
Kids have an incredibly short attention span. This is especially true of younger kids. As a result, they have a challenging time sitting still for long periods of time. This can be particularly problematic in long summer school classes and cause your child to lose interest and disengage. To avoid this, don’t let your child be idle in between lessons. Instead, try to find ways to keep them engaged and involved through the long summer classes. You can do this by engaging your child in other activities during the downtime between class periods. You can also try to find fun and exciting ways for your child to pass the time. This can help to keep your child’s attention and reduce the amount of time they spend being idle. Moving forward, this will help keep your child engaged and interested in the long summer school days.
Add Games and Activities To The Schedule
Kids are naturally playful and engage easily and enthusiastically in play. Playing is a great way to engage your child and keep them interested and involved in learning as active participant. You can add games and activities to your child’s schedule between lessons. For example, you can have your child partner up with another child for some activities. You can also create a plan of games and activities for your child to engage in during their downtime.
Make Sure Your Child Gets Enough Exercise
Kids need to get enough exercise to stay healthy. Besides being essential for physical health, it can also help to alleviate stress and boost mental health. This can be particularly important for helping kids in summer school to take their minds off of their academic performances. There are lots of ways you can get your child exercising while they are in summer school. For example, you can have them walk or bike to school or their after-school activities. You can also play games that get your child moving and active. This can help keep your child healthy and engaged in the long summer school days.
Wrapping Up
Making summer school fun for kids can be difficult. It’s easy for kids to become frustrated and bored if they feel like they are being forced to learn instead of being able to enjoy their summers in a carefree manner. You can prevent this by creating a fun learning environment at home, giving your child control over the classroom environment as an active participant, giving your child the freedom to choose what they wish to learn, and not letting your child become bored and idle between lessons by keeping things engaging. You can also add games and activities to the schedule and ensure your child gets enough exercise. This will help to keep your child involved and occupied in the long summer school days.