If you are a teacher looking for some activities for your students to do this summer, OR if you are a parent who wants to keep your child from the dreaded “summer slide” – this post is for you!
Reading
- Find out if there is a local reading program. Or maybe your state has one. Do some checking and see what you can find!
- Set aside a little bit of time each day to read! Even as little as 15-20 minutes will do wonders to keep your child from regressing over the summer!
- Your child does NOT have to read books! Find them magazines, newspapers, or even informational websites to read. The students absolutely ate up the magazines in my classroom this year! (Even the cartoon section of the newspaper counts!)
- For every book your child finishes, agree to do a “fun” activity with them at the end of the book. I will never forget getting to carve a duck out of a bar of soap in 3rd grade after reading a book about a boy who carved ducks into wood. Pinterest has a TON of ideas or a simple Google idea would work as well. (Many of these are inexpensive or FREE ideas!)
- If possible, read the book with your child. Discuss the story with them at the end of each chapter. Ask them basic questions about who, what, where, and when. How and why questions are even better!
Math
- Have a ride in the car? Ask your kiddos their basic multiplication and division facts. My brother knew his multiplication facts before he even got to third grade because my mom drilled them with my sister and I so many times in the car! 🙂
- This website has a daily math story problem – http://bedtimemath.org/dailymathproblem/ Check it out on a daily basis if you can – they update daily! (No worries – the answers are there as well!)
- Play some board games or card games with your child. Many of these games require critical thinking skills, but oftentimes they use some math or language skills too! 🙂
- Let your child be part of your everyday math routine. Have them estimate what the groceries are going to cost as you put them in the shopping cart. Have them calculate the gas mileage the next time you fill up.
- Let your child throw a “summer bash”! The catch – give them a budget and they HAVE to stick to it! It will teach them some great bargain shopping skills (along with some sneaky math along the way).
Writing
- See if your child can find a penpal. Maybe your child has a cousin in another state? Or perhaps there’s another parent in the community or the next community who wants their child to write also.
- Keep a journal of your summer activities. Let your child take pictures too and they can turn it into a scrapbook!
- Write to your child! Ask your child to write you a basic note each day or several times a week. It can be as short as 2-3 sentences. And if you respond you’re showing your child that writing is important! (Or have them help write the grocery list, shopping list, camping list, etc.)
- Have your child help you write the grocery list!
- Ask your child to write a letter to their elderly relatives or people in a local nursing home. (Bonus points if you are able to hand deliver these!)
Please work with your child over the summer. Numerous studies have shown children regress, or lose, about two months of their skills each summer. You can help prevent this!
Here are some websites that might be beneficial to your child!
Match the antonyms – http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/games/squanky/squanky.html
Match the synonyms – http://www.earobics.com/gamegoo/games/squanky2/squanky2.html
Reading Ring (put comic strips in the correct order – comprehension practice) – http://www.professorgarfield.org/ReadingRing/Strips/strips.html
Various 4th Grade Activities – http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_4th_lang_new.htm
Various 5th Grade Activities – http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_5th_lang_new.htm
Various Activities – http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/topic/literacy.shtml
If you are looking for further math activities, go here – https://hojosteachingadventures.com/p/websites-for-math-practice.html
More language activities? Try this – https://hojosteachingadventures.com/p/readinglanguage-arts-websites.html
Have a WONDERUL summer!!
~HoJo~
~HoJo~
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