By Greg 
Kids are already going back to school across the country but summer may still be winding down for your family. If this is the case, there’s still some time to plan educational activities that can help your children overcome struggles with learning and excel in the new school year. So if you want to keep your kids learning for the rest of summer break, here are some creative and maybe even surprising ways to do so:
Tech Your Teaching Tools
If there’s one thing kids love more than summer, it’s screen time. The risks and benefits of that screen time, however, have been the topic of debate over the last decade or so, but Forbes explains research indicates that limited screen time focused on educational programming can actually be beneficial in helping children learn a variety of subjects.
Many of the best teaching tools available these days involve some screen time, whether you’re gamifying their experience or pulling projects, ideas and recipes from Pinterest. Make sure your device is protected from accidents with an appropriately durable case and screen protector. You can even take it to the next level with a one-of-a-kind cell phone holder with matching popsockets and coaster set. It only takes one drop and a cracked screen to drain all the fun out of an activity!
Have Kids Help Out With Summer Cooking
This one may sound odd at first, but as The Spruce notes, there are a great many benefits of learning cooking for students of all ages. In terms of learning, preparing meals and following recipes can provide struggling children with hands-on experience with math, reading comprehension, chemistry, culture and even communication.
When children measure ingredients for chocolate chip cookies, they are using math skills to figure out how much of what to add. What’s more, they are also learning about chemistry by understanding how certain ingredients and heat interact to create a delicious treat. The kitchen can play a role in teaching kids about farm to table, too.
While baking and cooking can be fun and educational for children, you will also want to teach some basic kitchen safety along the way, such as proper handwashing and ingredient handling.
Help Children Explore Their Own Backyards
Summer is the perfect time for kids to get outside and have fun, but all of that outdoor fun can also offer some unique opportunities for summer learning. One way you can get kids more interested in learning about STEM subjects is with backyard engineering projects. This may sound overly complicated but these educational projects simply involve children building various structures using some common toys and objects, like straw or even Lego building blocks.
If engineering projects like these aren’t a good fit for your children, you can also plan a treasure hunt in your backyard that encourages them to find little bits of nature outside that make up your yard’s mini ecosystem. If that doesn’t suit your child, the backyard is a great place for kids to do artwork relating to nature. You can even use online games to drive those ecosystem lessons home!
Allow Time for Summer Play and Relaxation
If you have a child or children who are struggling in school, it can be tempting to spend all summer focused on learning. While summer educational activities can be beneficial for kids, it’s also equally important for children to spend time playing and being creative.
As NPR points out, playtime has benefits for children that can enhance their ability to perform in school. For instance, when children spend time playing their minds are actively creating brain-derived neurotrophic factor, or BDNF, which is crucial for healthy brain connections in developing minds. If your kids are stressed out or anxious about the upcoming school year, play can also help them unwind and reduce the negative effects of that stress. So spend time during the summer helping your children learn and better prepare for school, but also remember to reserve some time this summer for kids to be, well, kids!
Creating learning opportunities at home for your kids over the summer can keep them from forgetting the lessons learned in the previous school year. Plus, by allowing time for education and play over your family’s summer break, you can ensure a better experience for everyone when summer finally comes to an end and the new school year begins!
Sandra Lett is an acrylic, resin and pour artist. For coaching, tutorials, artwork and much more, be sure to connect!
Photo Credit: Unsplash
This article compliments of Parenting With Kris.