Homeschooling and Summer Learning
Games and Ideas For Retaining What Has Been Learned During Summer
Jun 21, 2007
Helping retain knowledge, and learn more during summer is possible. Family activities, games, even vacation can be a learning experience. Have fun learning together.
Many people who homeschool teach through the summer, but many others want to take the summer off. One common problem with taking the summer off, is the probability that the kids will lose some of what they have worked so hard to learn.
As parent/teachers the desire is for them to be able to pick up where they left off, and not struggle through weeks of review when the lessons are resumed.
Here are some tips on helping kids retain what they have learned, and helping them learn more;
- Have day once a week, where you have a quiz game. You can have prizes available, and keep track of points. It could even be varied to make the kids compete against themselves. Each week keep a log of how they did, and compare it to the following week, and so on throughout the summer. At the end of the summer, you can offer a grand prize to each child who has retained most of what the had learned and reviewed through the summer- conditions to receive the grand prize should be made up at the beginning of the summer.
- Play math games and reading games a couple of times a week. This will not only help all students retain knowledge, but they will also learn more if the games are challenging enough for the oldest one playing. One good way to help kids learn with games is to make it more help friendly and less challenging. If the purpose of the game is to help eachother, then it is also more fun. Using "Uno" as an example, young children can learn their numbers and colors if played in a way that allows helping eachother. In "Scrabble", helping younger kids spell words right, and asking them for help, will help them remember how to spell certain words and also how to blend sounds.
- Use opportunites as they come. If you go camping, let the kids collect rocks, leaves, and anything else that can't hurt them. When they get home, they can look them up to see what they are called. This is a great way to encourage research skills, and classifying.
- If you travel during the summer, make sure each family member has a journal to keep about the trip. Records could be kept about what sights are seen, places visited, people met, special memories they want to keep, etc..
- History comes alive when given a tour, or sight seeing. Have a contest on who can remember the most of historical facts learned while on vacation.
- Make a point of including family history. Meeting cousins at a family reunion, and learning family trivia are wonderful ways to build memories. There is nothing like hearing old family stories to learn about a family's heritage.
Have fun with your kids this summer, and learn along with them.
The copyright of the article Homeschooling and Summer Learning in Homeschooling is owned by Jean Marie Lockwood. Permission to republish Homeschooling and Summer Learning in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
