We are officially past the midway point of summer with the coming and going of the 4th of July. Some have taken vacations, others are counting down the days to their vacation, and for some, it’s business as usual. But school supplies are already in the aisles. Ready or not, the first day of school is just around the corner.
As a mom of four, going back to school is met with mixed emotions:
- Where did the time go?
- Did we check off the summer bucket list?
- Did my child do their summer reading…and where is that summer reading list?
- What can we still do to be ready for the return to school and still enjoy the remaining days of summer?
Here are a few tips to ease back into the school routine and get your kiddos ready to learn. The key here is to have fun and find opportunities to support learning in what you are already doing!
- Libraries are a great resource and learning partner in the summer. We love signing up for summer reading challenges. Your local library will offer challenges for all ages of students (and adults). You get the chance to pick up a cool prize, usually a great book! The challenges are developmentally appropriate. For example, for my 15-month-old, we could cross off an activity by calling the library reading hotline where we sat and listened to the phone read us The Pout-Pout Fish in the Big-Big Dark…granted it was a little more me following my 15-month-old around holding the phone so we could continuously listen to the story. My PKer enjoyed it too! Another option was singing the ABCs during a diaper change. Mid-summer isn’t too late to start. Most library challenges will have opportunities throughout the summer to read along and win.
- Each library will have a slightly different program. Here are the program offerings for my local library: https://www.littletongov.org/city-services/city-departments/bemis-library/programs/summer-reading-programs
- If you are in Colorado, this is a great resource to find your local public library: https://www.coloradolibraries.org/
- Math is in books and provides a great way to work on multiple skills at once. Take opportunities during book reading to point out the math. Here are terrific resources.
- Writing can be worked on even for the younger kiddos. In my house, we work on writing skills for all the kids in the house, even our 15-month-old. They aren’t too young to hold a chunky crayon with supervision and scribble on the paper. We even like to take it outside with sidewalk chalk. For kiddos under four, let them experiment with writing utensils with supervision (no wall art please). If you’re concerned with a mess on the table or clothes, throw on something old and let the mess begin.
- The important thing is to encourage fine motor skills…play dough, building with blocks that need to be pulled apart and put together.
- For kinders and up, a summer journal is a must in our house. We like this one that you can get on Amazon: Summer Journal. For our soon-to-be 1st grader, we give them a fun topic (ex: What did you love eating on vacation?), and they draw a picture and then write 1-2 sentences about it. At this age, we don’t spend time correcting spelling errors, just let them share with us their writing and have time to practice.
- Of course, we have to nourish our social-emotional and physical health too…playing in the park with friends, making up dances to songs, trying new foods on picnics, going on hikes, and more! Do what makes sense and sounds fun for your family.
- Don’t forget to start easing into that bedtime routine and consistent morning, so it isn’t as abrupt when that first day of school rolls around!
- For more tips and ideas for kiddos from birth through 8 years old, check out this great research-based resource: https://earlylearningco.org/parents-caregivers/.
