The 10 Rs for Your Child’s Super Successful Summer

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May 16, 2023
excited child playing outside with a water sprinkler

How can your children stay in a routine and retain what they learned in school AND be excited about it?

Here are some simple ideas for a Super Successful Summer:

top view of rules word made of wooden blocks on brown surface

RULES:  KISS (Keep It Simple Silly). Work with your children to decide on rules and have them sign the contract. For example – Every Day:

  • 30 minutes of schoolwork
  • Finish Chores
  • An hour of physical play
  • Be Kind

READ: Every day read – books, iPads, magazines, rules of games. Relevancy leads to reading. Play Scavenger Hunt Games. Take trips to the library. Let your child see your love and enjoyment of reading.

WRITING: the fastest becoming lost “art.” Help your child make To Do lists and cross off accomplishments. They can help with grocery lists to see writing has meaning. Help your child make a book – which can become a treasure, keepsake, or gift. This helps with creativity and learning to read. You can keep it simple and just staple some pages together or poke holes and bind pages with yarn. They can illustrate it, or you can paste their favorite photos. You may need to write their words. You could print the words large enough so that your child can trace over the words. Ownership leads to reading desire and enthusiasm.

ARITHMETIC: Play Games. Make Math Fun and Relevant! Patterns and math concepts are everywhere leading to better reading and thinking skills.

RESPECT: Children who learn to respect others will be much happier and more successful in life.

RESPONSIBILITY: Teach responsibility at an early age to help them (and you) through further years of development. Have a chore binder book or sticker chart. Use symbols beside words if your child isn’t reading yet.

REWARDS: Children love a marble rewards jar – which teaches math as well as learning to earn something they want. Ask your child what they would like to earn. You may be humbled by their answer. When my daughter was in kindergarten, she told her teacher that her favorite thing to do with her mom was to play with the dollhouse.

RANDOM ACTS of KINDNESS: Teach the reward of giving. Helping neighbors, or taking them a plate of homemade cookies, can form lasting relationships and give a child a sense of community and belonging to a neighborhood.

RELEASE STRESS – INCREASE STRENGTH: Children need to play outside. When I grew up, we did not have mobile phones, iPads, computers or even color television. My parents had five children and we were encouraged to play outside most of the time. Through outdoor play, I learned:

  • How to communicate, share, socialize, follow game rules, and problem-solve
  • Develop fine and large muscles
  • Use my imagination to develop new games using whatever we had (rocks, marbles, balls, cans, sticks, chalk)
  • Connect with my neighbors experiencing a sense of belonging

ROUTINE: Children crave routine and stability. Put PJs on, brush teeth, and then please snuggle and read a book every night possible with your children. Simple Comprehension Questions will help them retain information and will give you a glimpse into their imaginative thinking. Children will remember this special bonding time always – and you will too. They are little only a short time.

REMEMBER ~
Time is the most important
thing to spend on a child.

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