Sneaky Ways to Keep Your Child Learning
Find a way for a child to express him/herself in a creative manner that can be presented to the family
Kids have been reading, writing and doing math all school year long. There are many sneaky ways to keep children learning this summer that are fun and don’t involve shoving academics down their throats. The key thing is to find an outlet for a child to express his/her creativity. Some young children may enjoy experimenting with different art media and playing with different types of paint, pastels, colored pencils, and creating masterpieces that can be hung up somewhere in the house. Other kids may enjoy playing “restaurant” which provides them with an opportunity to design menus, count money, and practice developing verbal communication skills by taking orders as a waiter/waitress. It also provides an opportunity for kids to learn good sanitary habits when handling food.
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Use multimedia to create something that is both audio and visually-expressive
Let a young child read his/her favorite book and record it. Save it to the computer and let her listen to her story. This can inspire a child to create original stories and turn them into an audiobook series. If there are several children in the family, they can brainstorm ideas together for characters and setting. Younger kids can write down their ideas and then act them out in front of others.
Older kids can write their stories on a computer. An excellent way to present a story creatively is through Google Presentation where all kids can simultaneously work on it from remote locations. So if you are on vacation and in a hotel room or on the beach and have Internet access and a portable electronic device handy, a child can spend time creating some eye-catching, creative products.
Kids can be stars and make fun, silly videos with kid-friendly technology
Older kids love making all kinds of videos. With the ability to record decent quality videos with smartphones and easily import them into kid-friendly programs, kids can make these videos and readily share them with others. There is an app that is free with Mac products called Videostar. Recently, my students enjoyed doing a project in which they worked in groups to create a music video explaining the workings of a human body system of their choice, its associated parts and functions, along with a brief description of a disease related to that system.
Parents can sneak in learning in different ways both at and away from home
- Parents can give a child an option to visit a museum of his/her choice based on unique interest.
- Physical activity stimulates neurological connections using the multiple intelligences. Signing up a child for different sports or sports-related camps works the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, along with developing interpersonal communication and problem-solving skills.
- Other great activities children can do in the comfort of their own home include science experiments, puzzles, and board games.
Related: How to Sneak in Physical Therapy on Vacation [2]
During these summer months, it is important to try and limit your child’s “useless” tech time, such as chatting on social media and playing video game marathons. For more information on empowering your child and assisting in his/her maturation, decision-making, overall development and becoming super healthy, check out Doug’s official website: www.douglashaddad.com [3]
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Douglas Haddad is a public school teacher, nutritionist and the author of parenting/child guidance book Save Your Kids…Now! The Revolutionary Guide To Helping Youth Conquer Today’s Challenges and co-author of Top Ten Tips For Tip Top Shape: Super Health Programs For All Professional Fields..
Helpful Articles
- Think Camp Yes, You Can Send Your Child to Camp [5]
- How to Plan a Safe and Fun Summer (Part 2) [6]
- Summer Preparation: 8 Steps [7]
- Searching for the Right Summer Camp! [8]
- Seven Questions Parents Should Ask When Choosing a Camp [9]
- Summer Camp Organization [10]
- Relationship Rescue: Sleep Away Camp: Is your child ready? [11]
- Summer Camps [12]
- 5 Special Camps [13]
- Cooking with Kids: Campfire Banana Boats at Home [14]
- Top 10 Fun and Accessible Activities to Do This Summer [15]
- Summer Travel & Outdoor Fun with Apps [16]
This post originally appeared on our July/August 2014 Magazine [17]