Mrs. Wheeler's First Grade Tidbits: School All Summer

The teachers wave a final goodbye. The busses pull away. It's officially SUMMER for students and teachers alike. Both parties are equally excited but this time of year can be a bit scary and even stressful for parents. Finding exciting and engaging activities for their children all summer long can be overwhelming! Parents hope to shelter their children from the dreaded "Summer Learning Slide." Today's post highlights a few open-ended ideas for keeping the little ones engaged during the summer months.

1. Read! Take advantage of your local public library. Most offer summer reading programs that include fun incentives for children who complete them. Some even have story time where the children can go and listen to a story aloud. If the public library isn't your thing, head to the bookstore. Many bookstores have fun children's sections with seating to allow you to read books to your child before purchasing. Goodwill, garage sales, and used bookstores offer a plethora of books for kids at discounted prices.

2. Write! Writing can be overwhelming for a lot of kids, but it's directly correlated with success in reading, which is why it's important to encourage writing all summer long. For summer writing fun, purchase some sidewalk chalk and let your child write outside in chalk. Another great way to practice is to "water paint." Just grab a paintbrush from your local paint store {or basement!} and a small bucket of water. Children can paint write onto concrete. This is always fun on a hot day! The kids love seeing their writing disappear! I vividly remember "water painting" outside on my driveway as a child!

3. Word Work! Help your child retain their sight words during the summer by incorporating fun materials. Practicing the words with play-doh is always a hit! Making a sight word sensory tray is also a simple and engaging idea. Just pour some salt, sugar, or sand into a cookie sheet with a lip and let your little ones go to town! Get an Etch-a-Sketch from your local toy store and have your child practice their words on it! Write words on sticky notes and place them around your house. Have your child go on a "word hunt!" Put old magazines and newspapers to good use by having your child cut out letters to spell words and glue them onto a piece of paper or in a notebook.