5 Simple Summer Tips to Keep Your Child’s Brain HOT

I know, I know…we have all done our duty with homeschooling over the last nine weeks, and the last thing you want to hear about is teaching! However, the tips I am going to share with you are painless, quick, and easy. The great thing about the summer is that you are not tied down to a curriculum and you have the freedom to make learning geared more toward the areas that your child may need some extra help or attention.

10-20 minutes of reading DAILY

Reading can be independent, shared reading with a parent, or using an auditory device to listen to stories. Also, mix it up and use a variety of these methods to keep it interesting. Also, building fluency in reading can take as little as 60 seconds per day! If you choose a passage and time your child for 60 seconds (marking any mistakes and where they stopped) and repeat this process for 3 days using the same passage, you will help build fluency and a confident reader. Don’t forget to ask questions about what your child is reading to make sure they are visualizing the story in their mind! The book I would recommend for fluency passages is pictured below.

Using Math Daily

Just like reading, using math skills daily is a must. Similar to reading fluency, you can help build fact fluency by doing a Math Mad Minute! Again, just 60 seconds, and your child can solve as many math facts as possible during that time and try day after day to beat their time! It’s all about building confidence and making your child feel empowered! You can also incorporate math in cooking recipes to make math more “real” and hands-on. An example of a mad minute book I would recommend is pictured below, but if your child is into multiplication and division, there are similar ones for that, as well.       

Writing

Writing is not a daily necessity but does need to be addressed. One way I like to incorporate writing is tying it to reading. When your child reads a chapter or reads a short book, have them write one or two sentences about what they just read. If your child is too young, have them tell you and you write it to model good writing for them. I like using the chapter summaries.

Science Experiments

Picking a science experiment weekly with things you usually have easy access to around the home can be so much fun for everyone. There is a great book called Kate the Chemist: The Big Book of Experiments that has some great ideas.

Art

You can be as free as a bird for this! If you are a Pinterest art mom or a less is more art mom, it is all ART! There are some neat step by step drawing videos such as Art for Kids Hub on YouTube that they can do independently, as well.

Summer is all about fun, relaxing, and letting your kid be a kid. For as little as two 60 second increments you can build math and reading fluency in the summer. This is all about a no-pressure approach to keeping your child’s brain engaged and working while on summer vacation. It also gives them a little more certainty when entering school in August knowing that they kept their brains engaged over the summer!

MelissaMediamolle
Melissa is a former accountant, former educator, and current stay at home mom. She has two sons, Blake (12) and Owen (7). Residing on the Northshore for the last 15 years with her husband of 15 years and their sons, Melissa enjoys the simple life of coffee, country music, gardening, and decorating.

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