In the summer, I learn, but...differently!

Before we go any further, let's keep in mind that children are naturally curious and love to learn. Generally, during the school year, learning is more formal at school, whereas summer is a time to explore, discover, and learn while having fun! In this article, I'm going to offer you some ideas that you could easily implement this summer to fuel your little ones' curiosity and nurture their desire to learn.

Warning! We're nourishing general knowledge!

Reading, writing, and counting are very important skills that are taught at school and that children use every day. General knowledge, on the other hand, encompasses basic knowledge on a wide range of subjects and allows for a broad understanding of the world. To help you, use your child's interests as a starting point.

For example, at home, I have big fans of everything that falls into the "Nature and the Outdoors" category. So summer is the ideal time to discover and explore! We can study the trees in our neighborhood by looking at their leaves. We can also set up a bird feeder and observe the birds that come to feast there. We can go for a walk outside and collect some plants along the way to identify them (or make a nature-themed craft); a herbarium is still very popular and will never go out of style! We can also observe insects and butterflies and then identify them.

For older children (if your children are interested in astronomy), stars and constellations are beautiful subjects to explore during the summer season. There are many books on the subject, otherwise the internet is obviously a magnificent resource! The child can draw the constellations and find them in the sky. There is also the whole story behind each star or constellation that can be read before bedtime. The different phases of the Moon can also be very interesting. If you and your child are motivated and interested in crafting, the idea of building a solar system can also be very stimulating.

To go further in terms of culture, theater represents, in my opinion, a really interesting cultural tool. It's a change from what children are used to, and it's an outing that takes them out of their routine and can generate a nice interest.

Finally, it's also interesting to have a world map at home or, even better, a globe within reach of children. The globe is a more interesting option, in my opinion, from the point of view of the accuracy of proportions, but also in terms of handling. My children are fascinated by this object. It allows the child to orient themselves in space, but also to have a visual support for many things from a geographical point of view (showing a travel destination, finding the place where a film's plot takes place, etc.). This object, although it may seem insignificant, allows for a great opening to the world and represents a magnificent learning tool!

Awaken the little artists in them!

If your little one has overflowing creativity, now is the time to feed their curiosity and introduce them to new mediums or techniques they haven't tried yet! This can be with watercolor, stamping, or origami, but also knitting or weaving. These are methods that can take time to master, but we have all summer ahead of us! What's pleasant about the summer period is precisely that we have time and can work on something, leave it, and come back to it the next day. That way, the child doesn't get bored and can see progress in their creations! Rainy days or gentle mornings can thus prove to be very productive and creative!

Everyone in the garden!

Gardening is an activity where learning is always present! You could ask your little one to make a logbook, a small notebook where they could record the number of seedlings planted, the height of the plants throughout the season, and the harvests, for example. There could also be a section with drawings of the plant, the part that is harvested (leaf, root, fruit), and ideas for recipes to try with the plants.

Just in the garden, we can work on math (measuring, counting, numbering, etc.) and writing very easily. If you ask your child to read the small seed packets or to do research on the internet for recipes, we add reading to the list of skills worked on!

Prepare for back to school!

I'm getting carried away, I know! Summer has just begun and I'm already talking about back to school! However, it's not in the way you imagine! Going back to class means going back to lunches and preparing them. At our house, we like to have homemade snacks and I really like to get my children involved. It gives them responsibilities and I want to develop their autonomy and curiosity in the kitchen. There are probably cookie, energy ball, muffin, or compote recipes that you want to try and that you could slip into the lunchbox when school starts again in September. Well, now is the time to experiment and taste test with your children!

Furthermore, if you want to involve your children in preparing lunches and for them to be efficient, it takes practice. You can't expect a child to learn to cut vegetables and do an efficient, quick, and well-done job the first time they try. It's the same for following a recipe, it takes practice. Summer can be a great time for a child to develop their culinary skills, because we are often less rushed for time. We can also allow ourselves to make a recipe with only one of our children while the others are busy. We then enjoy a quality moment with them and ensure they understand how to do it. When school starts again, they will be a true champion!

More classic avenues!

There are also classics that never go out of style. We don't always realize it, but our child is constantly learning. Story time is a moment when we develop several areas in our little one. First there's language and vocabulary, the cognitive aspect, but also the emotional bond related to this quality time with you. Don't hesitate to ask your child questions about what's happening in the story. Ask them about a character's emotions or reactions. Ask them to anticipate what will happen next or to summarize the story for you. Discuss it with them and ask them what they thought. This moment will encourage your little one to question and reflect. This will develop their reading comprehension skills.

Many daily tasks can also be linked to writing. On a daily basis, we can ask our child to help us make the grocery list, write a note for the other parent, write down the meals of the week on the planner, etc. To make the writing activity even more meaningful, your child could correspond with someone they know (friend, cousin, grandparents). They must then choose who they want to write to. There's a lot of good work to be done on the intention of writing. We can go over the parts of a letter with them (date, salutations, body, signature). Children are often so proud to receive mail! If handwritten letters don't interest them, but they have an interest in computers, they can also write an email to a loved one. This will allow them to develop their typing skills.

Finally, puzzles, logic games, and board games are great classics that are worth getting out in the summer.

• Puzzles, among other things, work on observation skills and hand-eye coordination.
• As for logic games, they allow the child to work on their logic, of course, but also their autonomy. There are several fun games that are simple enough for the child to find the solution and then correct themselves. This also works on their concentration and observation skills.
• Board games, we often forget, also teach children many things. First, if there's a die or money (Monopoly, for example), the child has to count. In Uno or Skip Bo, number and color recognition come into play. In the case of war (card game), the child has to compare the cards to determine which one is higher. The child then uses their mathematical skills and knowledge. For most games, they have to wait their turn and control their impulsiveness. Emotional management and control are also worked on when the child loses a game. These are small activities that everyone can do at home and that allow the child to learn without really realizing it.

I hope you enjoyed my suggestions. Summer is a time when we can witness our child's learning and guide them in their development. There are still many ways to learn, but differently! What are yours?

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