With school activities wrapping up for the year and summer approaching, parents are wondering how they might keep their families safe engaged, and entertained. We found a list of 125 great ideas from Parade magazine that promise to make this summer one to remember.
It’s June 2020 and “school’s” out for summer. That said, your home life probably has not changed much since “school” was in session, given that you were probably wearing a teacher hat, in addition to the parent hat that you have always worn. As I write, in Michigan and around the country, things are starting to slowly open up. But we are not going to see a summer like last. Public pools and venues remain closed. Summer and sports camps, if operating, are finding a new way of doing business.
So, what’s a parent to do now that there is not even the structure of a school day? Rather than re-create the wheel, we found this great compendium of 125 activities pulled together by Parade magazine. My guess is that you’ll find a few gems in here that your children and teens might gravitate toward. Of course, I particularly like those that foster reading and writing, like starting an independent novel project, playing read-at-home bingo, writing a travel journal about a previous vacation, or writing a good old-fashioned letter. There are also many ideas to enrich your child’s experiences. These experiences help build vocabulary. We know that if you have knowledge about a topic, the better equipped you are to make connections with the text and learn from it. Similarly, you are also able to write more about it. So, watching the Beluga whales or visiting a museum or National Park can contribute to your child’s knowledge base. Hands-on experiences require reading directions—think science project, art project, or recipe. And, it’s summer—so having fun should be high on the priority list.
With less than 90 days of summer, this list will give you more than an idea a day! Many are ‘not for kids only,’ so enjoy…and continue to stay safe.
Joanne Marttila Pierson, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
