Last year as Kindergarten came to an end and we approached summer break I went into it with the attitude 'let the kids be kids'-- we extended bedtime from 7-7:30 to 8-8:30 and I let them sleep in unless we had somewhere to be. We wore PJs until noon or later during our indoor days and on nice days they played outside until lunch and then again after rest time until dinner. We went to parks, we took swim lessons, we went with the flow and relaxed.
We were free range all summer and then we started off first grade and Ava was immediately behind reading level-- my heart sank. I had wanted them to be kids all summer, free play and not worry about a regimented schedule or school work. And it's not that I didn't read to them over summer-- I try and read every night before bed. But I didn't put as much of an emphasis on keeping her mind fresh with all of the new things that she learned throughout the school year. Hey, youlive summer and you learn.
So, as we quickly approach the upcoming summer break (less than 30 days to go--pray for me) there are a few things that I plan to try and do differently. I still strongly believe that kids should have the summer to just be kids because they only get seventeen to eighteen carefree summers at home and then that's it-- it's hello part time jobs, college or the real world! But on the other side of the coin I'm also learning that school is moving them along so fast and for me, personally, I need to set aside the time to keep school their skills sharp so we're not always finding ourselves playing catch up at the beginning of a new school year.
Once I came to this realization and made a promise to myself off to google and Pinterest I went-- searching and looking up ways to add little bits of school to our summer rhythm. First, I came up with a schedule of how I wanted to attack our weeks and then I went on a search for materials and websites that offer printable materials for us to use. Lastly, summer is summer this is not carved in stone but routines and schedules have always worked for us.
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We were free range all summer and then we started off first grade and Ava was immediately behind reading level-- my heart sank. I had wanted them to be kids all summer, free play and not worry about a regimented schedule or school work. And it's not that I didn't read to them over summer-- I try and read every night before bed. But I didn't put as much of an emphasis on keeping her mind fresh with all of the new things that she learned throughout the school year. Hey, you
So, as we quickly approach the upcoming summer break (less than 30 days to go--pray for me) there are a few things that I plan to try and do differently. I still strongly believe that kids should have the summer to just be kids because they only get seventeen to eighteen carefree summers at home and then that's it-- it's hello part time jobs, college or the real world! But on the other side of the coin I'm also learning that school is moving them along so fast and for me, personally, I need to set aside the time to keep school their skills sharp so we're not always finding ourselves playing catch up at the beginning of a new school year.
Once I came to this realization and made a promise to myself off to google and Pinterest I went-- searching and looking up ways to add little bits of school to our summer rhythm. First, I came up with a schedule of how I wanted to attack our weeks and then I went on a search for materials and websites that offer printable materials for us to use. Lastly, summer is summer this is not carved in stone but routines and schedules have always worked for us.
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Summer Rhythm:
Monday - morning free play / afternoon reading & journaling [1 - 2pm]
Tuesday - summer worksheets [10 - 11am] / free play rest of the day
Wednesday - errand day | pool day, visit family, grocery store, or park visit
Thursday - summer worksheets [10 - 11am] / free play rest of the day
Friday - morning free play / afternoon reading & journaling [1 - 2pm]
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Summer Worksheet Links:
Education.com Summer Worksheets (some are free!)
Super Teacher Worksheets (some are free!)
Great Schools! Worksheets (most are free!)
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Summer Reading List:
Ava - (entering second grade)
The Princess in Black series by Shannon Hale
How to Hide a Lion
The Little Red Fort
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
Why?: The Best Ever Question and Answer Book about Nature, Science and the World around You
Charlotte - (entering kindergarden)
First Day Jitters
Kindergarten Rocks!
My Sister and I
No Roses for Harry!
On Earth
I also found this fun Summer Reading Bingo Challenge!
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Summer Math Activities [For Grades K–3]:
Shopaholic: What can you buy for $5 at the store? From the ice cream truck? In a hardware store? At the beach?
Change it up: Start collecting change in a jar on the first day of summer. On the last day, estimate your change, count it, and plan a special purchase.
Design hunt: Keep an eye out for shapes, patterns, and designs when you’re out and about. You never know what you’ll find in the architecture at the airport, the shopping mall, or even the grocery store.
Word Hunt: Create a word list, writing each of the words on a sticky note. Hide each sticky note somewhere in the house. Help your child use the word list to search for as many of the words as he or she can find. Each time your child finds a word, ask him or her to read it out loud. Once your child has found all the words, read them again and count how many of each word he or she found.
Build Vocabulary with a Daily Word Jar: Fill a jar with pieces of paper that have a different word on each. Each day, let your child draw a word from the jar and ask him or her to define it. Challenge your child to use that word in his or her conversations throughout the day. You can adapt this activity for your child’s grade level, and help him or her build vocabulary skills by adding more challenging words each week.
And, many helpful ideas can be found at Math Resources and Worksheets - education.com
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