5 easy summertime tips that will keep your kids loving learning { FREEBIE }

You want your kids to have fun this summer, but you also don't want them to fall any further behind.  There are easy - and fun - activities and games you can play.  Keep reading!

Get them their own library card

Visiting the library is one of the most positive things you can do for your kids.  Many local libraries have all kinds of summer programs you can sign up for, but even if you do none of them, just think of all the FREE books at your disposal.  Introduce your kids to reading, just for fun.  Find some books to read together, or to listen to, separately or together.

Get a fun book for yourself, too.  Then, when you all have some downtime, curl up and read!

We always called it Boggle

I'm not sure if this game has a name, but it kept our three kids in line in any place that had paper placemats.  We just flipped them over while we were waiting and played this game.  If there were none, I usually had paper and pens/pencils in my bag.

Boggle is the game where you give the kids a longer word.  They need to come up with as many three or more letter words by using only the letters in the word.  This has so many great reinforcements of phonemic awareness, rhyming sounds, homophones, and singular and plural words If your Boggle word has an S in it.)

For example, say the word is RELATEDLY.  First of all, they learn to correctly spell a big word.  But look at all the word combinations they can come up with: read, reed, late, dear, deer, deal, lyre....you get the idea.

Some rhyming FREE activities

In the same vein as Boggle, but with some different activities, you can download this freebie, print it out, and take it with you to the park, the pool, or your table at home.

A reading challenge

Challenge your kids to read a little most days.  Obviously, life happens and there are all kinds of interruptions, but try to get them to establish a daily habit if your kids don't love reading.  Start small.  Maybe ten minutes.  I didn't set a time with my own children, although I did with my students.  They were to work up to 30 minutes a day in school and/or at home.

After looking at this challenge, they had questions.  And your children may also.  You can set the amount of time to whatever makes sense for you and your kids.  For us, 

• Yes, 30 minutes could be broken up by interruptions.  10+10+10 minutes still equals 30 minutes.
• Yes, if they loved reading in their favorite chair, they could do that the whole time.  They simply needed to mark it on their beach ball.

Does this Reading Challenge look like something your kids would enjoy?  Take a look!

And finally, run outside barefoot!

Spend as much time outside as possible.  Take your kids to the park or let them play in the backyard if you have one.  Let them take their shoes off if it's not too hot and it's safe.  Things happen neurologically to your children's brains when they can feel the earth under their feet!