Taking small portions of time each time to help your child retain their skills learned in the school year can help give them confidence. Relaxing over the summer months is important. However, a summer spent without reading, reading, or solving problems will soon show up in resulting progress reports when schools tarts. Here are some ideas to provide academic challenge for school breaks.

Summer School

Placing your child in full time summer school, or other type of academic program can be costly. You can inexpensively create your own summer school curriculum for your children. Working parents can use the time they are free to assign short educational tasks. One hour can be spent each day on sharpening skills. While dinner is prepared, or household chores are done give your child work to complete. Cut back your television time, or relaxation time to give assignment instructions and to check their work.

Academic Challenge

Keep track of the work that each child does over the Summer months. Use summer reading program book lists, and check off each completed book. Find new ways each week for your child to apply something learned in a text book, in real life. For example, take them to explore the outdoors. Use this trip as a review of what was learned in science. Spend a few extra minutes on shopping trips and let younger children pay for purchases in cash. Give your teenager the task of shopping for the family for the week with cash.

Printable

Explore the internet for a free printable. Printable’s are available in every subject. Children of all ages can participate by coloring, math, or detailed subject or language comprehension questions.

Summer Reading List

Listening to children read aloud, gives you a good understand of how well the can pronounce language. Moving past how they sound is important. Many children are great readers, however they do not understand what they are reading. Use quiet times in the morning or early evening to listen to your child read aloud. Always ask a few brief questions out loud or request the answer in paragraph or essay form.

Challenging your child over Summer does not require you to spend hours each day in formal instruction. Instead, find the proper instructional books, printable, or online resources to ensure your child stays or excels their current grade level at the start of the school year. Visit you local library for the sumer reading list by grade level. Embrace every opportunity to show your child how to use what they are learning in the lessons in everyday life.