It’s just about that time of the year again; summer is almost here! As the school year begins to wind down, your young kids will be home for the summer before you know it! Although summer is supposed to give children a break from school, kids should not just stop learning all together. In fact, research has shown that children develop better when they continue to learn throughout the entire year.
At DREAM, we offer a variety of programs designed to help at risk youth in our community. Below, we go over some ways parents can create an educational summer for their children!
Reward your children
When school is out and the weather outside begins to become much nicer, the motivation to learn for students is much less. However, choosing a reward that your children will enjoy and work hard towards has been found to be one of the best ways to keep children engaged and motivated to learn. If your child enjoys playing outside, you could use that as an incentive. For example, you could tell your child that once they read x amount of chapters from a book, that they will be able to play outside for the rest of the day. There are many ways parents can reward their children for taking time to read, write and learn!
It’s also essential that parents are choosing the right “rewards” to ensure their children are working hard and motivated. Also, rewards do not need to be extreme. Oftentimes, the best rewards are something that you have already had planned, or were planning on giving your child already!
Let children choose what they want to learn
Another great way to help at risk youth stay motivated to learn throughout the summer is encouraging them to choose something that they want to learn about! Rather than only allowing them to read books, watch shows or do activities in which you want them to do, consider allowing them to choose. This not only helps them begin learning new skills, but also find new hobbies and interests; ultimately broadening their knowledge and creativity.
Take adventures
Since the weather is warming up outside, the summer is the perfect time to get outside and teach your children about nature. A great way to do so is by taking “family adventures”. Whether that is going on a bike ride, or taking a hike at a nature park, your children will enjoy the time spent outdoors as well as learn much about nature and our environment. Here are some great nature parks around the Omaha area that are great places to take the family!
Have fun
Lastly, summer education should be fun. It should be much different than sitting in a classroom all day. By providing your at risk youth with activities that are not only educational but fun as well, they will begin to fall in love with learning! Here are some awesome fun learning activities to try with your kids this summer!
Although kids need the summer to relax and take a break from school, parents should still strive to continue educating their children. Use these tips to create an educational summer for your kids this year!
At DREAM, we offer youth mentoring and after school programs for at risk youth in our community. This summer, we will be offering our Summer Program once again. Visit our website to learn more about our programs and what we do!
