A Guide to Helping Your Little Ones Learn This Summer!

By Danielle Rayo, Founder and Director of Competitive Advantage Tutoring

The end of the academic year is near. Spring is coming to a close and summer is just on the horizon. Your little ones are excited to get a break from school, and to spend all day with their favorite person again. You! Countless activities and hours will soon be available to the both of you. Use this relaxing time to enjoy the summer, while also giving your children a head start on the curriculum they face next year. Teacher expectations continue to rise, as the curriculum becomes more challenging every year. This poses the question of what you can do with your children during summer to keep them focused on their academics.

What Will Keep Your Children Learning? Plenty!

Review the Foundations: Even though they have only gone through Pre-K or Kindergarten, they still learned a huge amount of knowledge. Before the year comes to a close, speak with your child’s teacher and know the areas your child may need some additional support in. You can help give them an advantage next year, if you spend a few hours every week reviewing concepts from this past year (and having fun while doing it). For example, devise a game that focuses on the alphabet, such as Alphabet Bingo. Travel time is also great opportunity to engage your little one. Whether in a taxi, the subway, or on a flight, promote educational dialogue with your kids!

Educational Excursions: You happen to live in one of the best cities in the world. So use it! Of course there are plenty of museums to get your children engaged. Our favorite is the Children’s Museum of Manhattan, which has a separate sensory integration play area with all different types of textures. You may also want to consider seeing some of New York’s best sites. Teach your little ones about famous sites and national landmarks. Read books about the Statue of Liberty, create fun fact sheets with cool trivia, and then visit the sites! There is nothing more exciting then seeing what you learned come alive!

It’s a Sunshine Day: The summer includes some of the best weather, so why spend time inside? Your children love to be outside (and they soak up some Vitamin D while out and about). Instead of taking them to the local playground, consider taking them on a scavenger hunt. Create a map that includes both visual images and text, so that they can enjoy reading it. Then, allow your children to have a chance to put their thinking caps (and SPF) on, and off they go!

Games, Puzzles, and Crafts. Oh My! Take the time to play games that increase your child’s thinking. If he or she needs assistance with alphabet or number recognition, instead of drilling them with flashcards, create a bingo board that contains visuals and text. It is much more fun and entertaining to play a game, then to look at flashcards! Invest in some puzzles with knobs (to increase fine motor skills) and make sure the puzzle is of interest to your child. Finally, take some time to create crafts with your child that tie back to academics. Do they love trains? Learn about the different parts of a train by reading books together, create a subway craft using recycled boxes and construction paper, and then take an actual ride on the subway to visit the New York City Transit Museum.Use their interests as a way to keep them engaged while creating a learning opportunity. If you can’t get frequently, consider cooking together. This is a great way to teach about measurement and to explore different textures.

Reading…Well Kind of: Books on tape are the perfect way for children who have yet to begin reading to follow along in a text. They learn directionality (reading from left to write) and word recognition. Following along in the text while listening to the tape also helps to enforce phonemic awareness. An added bonus is that hearing the sound effects on tape will help keep your child engaged.

Teaching Technology: iPhones, iPads, and applications, with all the technology today who can keep track? However, we all know children love video games. Use your computer to explore several educational games. Our favorite site for fun and educational content across the Pre-K and Kindergarten curriculum is www.abcmouse.com. The games are very interactive, and will be both fun and beneficial for your kids!Use these summer tips to keep your children learning and happy! The educational opportunities you create will help to keep them ahead this upcoming fall.

Danielle Rayo is the Founder and Director of Competitive Advantage Tutoring. She holds her dual-masters degree in Early Childhood Education and Special Education from NYU. She received her B.A. from NYU in Education and Communications.