With the warm weather and blue skies, your children are likely enjoying the fun in the sun, whether its playing in the park, splashing in the pool, or staying up later than usual. Whether a child is in school or in daycare, although summer break is a time for fun and relaxation, it can often be a time for learning loss.

Many parents often wonder how to prevent learning loss in their children during the summer. Luckily, in this blog, we are going to cover some helpful activities that parents can do with their child to help keep their minds sharp during the summer months. By following these tips, parents can ensure that their kids are engaged and learning while still enjoying their summer break.

Do Fun Hands-On Activities Together

Children love doing hands-on activities, especially if they are helping out their parents. There are various activities that can be used as a teaching and learning opportunity. Whether it’s baking a tray of cookies, building a birdhouse for the backyard, or another activity that requires measuring, planning, cooperation, and other hands-on skills, your kids will be sure to have fun while building their fine and detailed skills.

Establish a Summer Reading Schedule

One of the best ways for children to maintain their literacy skills is to keep up with reading. Summer reading not only helps get a child’s imagination flowing, but it also helps keep their minds sharp. Depending on the age of your child, set aside some time for them to read. Be sure to use books that they will be interested in and will learn from. If your children aren’t yet able to read independently, reading along with them can potentially improve their reading skills significantly. Often times local libraries will have summer reading programs available for young children.

Encourage Creative Activities

For children, the summertime is all about having fun. However, there are ways to keep the fun constructive. To start, parents should limit the amount of screen time their children have and discourage watching too much television or playing video games for too long. Encourage your children to head outside for some fun activities and games. See if they are able to come up with any fun and creative activities or games to play.

Register for a Kids Summer Program

Kids summer programs have tons of benefits and they are a great way to keep your children engaged, learning, and having fun during the summertime. Summer programs can help kids develop social skills and help with cognitive development, plus they encourage both learning and physical activity.

These are just few ways parents can help keep their children’s minds sharp during the summer months. However, for working parents, it can be difficult to find the time for all of these activities. When this is the case, early learning centers are a great choice. Early learning centers are very similar to daycares, but provide a structured learning and educational foundation for kids, even during the summer.

If you are looking for an early learning center or child care in Fort Washington, MD, Jaycees Early Learning Center is an excellent choice! We offer child care programs for infants, school-aged children — and all ages in between — in addition to children’s summer programs. If you are interested in learning more about our early learning center, please do not hesitate to contact us!