Make your bed, clean your room, help with the dishes…and LEARN!
“10 Minutes of Learning” is a daily summer job at our house. It is simple and adds a lasting dimension to chore time.… Make a learning plan by having a one-on-one visit with each child. Ask questions and determine what your child is interested in learning. We generally have “fun” learning days like origami, a science project, or “how hotdogs are made”, but we also have days of more serious learning time where the child will learn things to enhance how well he/she will do in school. It is all based on the child’s age.
Here are some ideas to consider:
- Learn about a favorite animal, country, person, or career. A couple posts that go along with this are Traveling the World –where you pretend to visit a county and Who’s Invited to Dinner – where you pretend to meet an historical figure)
- Learn to sew, draw, sing, paint, or do origami (Here is a fun simple sewing project: Bing Bag Bocce)
- Learn colors, shapes, the alphabet, writing, addition facts, multiplication facts, state locations and capitals, typing, etc.
- Have an older child teach a younger child the rules of a sport or have them read to each other
- Take a hike and learn about the plants in your area or do a simple science fair project (Science project links: Colored Celery? and Ice Cube Surprise)
- Practice a musical instrument and review flash cards related to it
- Learn how something is made or how it works
Let your child help build his/her own summer curriculum. Possibilities are endless. Figure out a few things that really intrigue your child and a few things that will help them excel. It is fun occasionally to have them report on what they have learned to the whole family.
As part of learning, you may wish to check out books from the library or carefully supervise time on the internet. The internet is a tool not a free for all; it must be carefully monitored. I saw firsthand how important that is. We had purchased chicks and my little boys wanted to know what kind they were so they decided to use the internet and look it up for their “10 Minute Learning.” They typed in “chicks” on the internet and baby chickens did not show up a whole bunch of women did. We learned to be more specific when using the internet.
“10 Minutes of Learning” each summer day will help build a love of learning that lasts a lifetime. At least that is my hope!
Leave a Reply