Summer Activities!
Help Your Child Stay Academically Sharp Over Summer
Summer!
As we all know, students who do not read over summer loose academic ground. Going from reading every day at school during the school year to no reading at all over the summer months, can be detrimental to your child’s academic growth the following school year.
I have gathered some ideas on how to make reading and writing fun over the summer months. I made sure that I included ideas that can be done throughout the chaos of crazy summer schedules. Many of these ideas I have compiled from Pinterest. Feel free to look on that site if you feel none of these ideas fit your child’s style of learning or hectic summer schedule. I have also included some cool websites that can be helpful for readers and others that contain book lists.
Enjoy!
Reading and Writing Activities
1. Set up treasure hunts with clues to be found and read in search of a particularly exciting reward. Turn the tables on the struggling reader that hides from reading – by hiding the reading from the child! The clues could be around the house or hidden in the book.
2. Collect trivia on favorite sports teams, stars, musicians, etc. (or how about an ancestor?), and make scrapbooks or simple video documentaries.
4. Try collecting poetry and/or writing poetry. Start a scrap book with all of your favorites.
5. Play board games such as Scrabble and Monopoly. Boggle, Concentration, and MadGab are also good reading games. Consider ongoing summer tournaments and desirable prizes.
6. Access all the wonderful resources at the local library, including opportunities for volunteer work for older children or participating in any of the many other programs they have.
Kewaskum- www.kewaskum.lib.wi.us
West Bend- www.west-bendlibrary.org
Campbellsport-www.campbellsportlibrary.org
7. Make mini-magazines with original material to distribute to family and friends. This could include writing about your summer activities and maybe include artwork.
8. Learn stories from the lives of ancestors. Write down or record and distribute at a family reunion. Original pictures can be drawn for illustration, or copies of family pictures can be included. Grandparents can be interviewed on tape and the short stories transcribed into a written history.
9. Regularly write in journals or diaries, both individual and family, especially when special events occur. Make sure there are interesting pages and paper-types to write on. Varieties of colors, textures, and mediums for writing can make it more appealing.
10. Keep blogs. Follow blogs of interest and comment on them.
11. Watch for favorite comics in a daily newspaper; collect and save in a simple scrapbook to share.
12. Reading Bingo- This link will give you some background information, book ideas for lower level readers, and free printable http://thislunchrox.com/2012/06/summer-reading-stars/
13. Leave your kids notes using quotes from a book all over the house with clues for them to figure out the notes.
14. Make reading fun by setting up a special “reading place” in the house or yard. Make it into a tent or fort. Here is a blog that has a printable checklist of 100 places to read. http://www.themeasuredmom.com/summer-reading-challenge-can-you-read-100-books-with-printable-checklist/
15. Create a paper chain. For each book your child reads, they get to add a new link to the chain. If you have older kids that are reading longer books, add a chain for every 30 minutes or hour that the child reads. Add an incentive, like setting a distance that their chain needs to stretch or a certain number of links they need to earn a reward.
16. Make reading a competition within the family. Here is a blog with some fun ideas and free pintables- . http://simplykierste.com/2011/06/summer-reading-program.html
Helpful Websites
1. Resources for reluctant readers-
Fractus Learning-
http:/www.fractuslearning.com/2012/11/09/resources-for-reluctant-readers/
2. Statistics on your reading speed-
Visual.ly
http://visual.ly/what-speed-do-you-read
3. Free kindle books (watch what you click on to make sure that they are free)
3 Boys and a Dog
http://3boysandadog.com/2013/12/free-kindle-books-for-kids-2/
More Book Lists
40 Chapter Books for Boys
(9-12 years old) http://realfoodenthusiast.com/40-chapter-books-for-boys/
Summer Reading Lists for Kids
(8-14 years old)
http:www.meladramaticmommy.com/2012/06/summer-reading-lists-for-kids-8-links.html
Best Books for Tweens http://www.pragmaticmom.com/2012/01/books-middle-schoolers-wonderful-middle-school-librarian/
Summer Reading List for Girls http://homeschoolingjustnextdoor.blogspot.com/2013/04/summer-reading-list-for-girls.html