Keep the Learning Alive Over the Summer

Projects for everyone involved with the education process

Right now, is the time that children are thinking about summer vacation. Thinking about playing with their friends, watching TV and playing video games with the relaxed rules that the end of the school year brings.

Parents are thinking about how to keep their kids occupied over the summer. Thinking about day care, vacation trips and how to keep their children from forgetting everything they have learned over the next 3 months.

Teachers are thinking about the summer break and how to prepare for the next school year. Thinking about budgets, school supplies and using their summer time wisely to prepare the curriculum for the next class of students.

Students, parents and teachers are all taking separate paths to arrive at the same point in the fall. The beginning of a new school year and the recurring challenge of educating our children.

Honestly, there is no reason that education ends in June only to begin three months later. Reading lists and educational projects will keep your children learning and involved with the educational process. The habit of education won’t disappear with the summer and your kids will be eager and ready to return to school.

For children, continuing their education – even at a more relaxed pace – will make it easier for them to keep up with their peers in school. Curriculum and projects that are coming during the school year can be discussed and worked on over the summer, giving them a head start over their classmates.

Since curriculum changes very little from year to year, teachers can prepare their future students for the next school year by laying out a tentative list of projects, studies and necessary reading lists before the school year ends. That way it is ready for the next year’s students to become familiar with over the summer.

Parents

Educating your children begins at home. Children who are encouraged to read and appreciate education enjoy many benefits over children that believe reading is a chore. Education aside, learning to enjoy reading and educational projects also improves imagination, social skills, and health.

It has not been that many years ago that summer reading lists were a mandatory part of American education. In addition to reading, keeping your kids involved in the learning process can be as easy as using a wholesale crafting supply outlet to create projects for your kids to do over the summer.

Teachers

Encouraging kids to read and learn is nothing novel, but attempting to make it interesting can be. Dry reading lists over a summer vacation can lead to resentment, but if you can motivate your future students to want to read, you can gain a number of benefits that can make all the difference between teaching apathetic kids who want to be anywhere but in your classroom and children who have a love of learning.

Don’t underestimate the power of positive reinforcement and long-term rewards versus short-term frustrations. Most children want to learn, the just don’t know how.

Students

From the time you are enrolled in kindergarten until you have completed your educational journey, you are a student. Time of year and vacation status makes no difference to the fact that your primary goal during that time is to learn.

Beginning with basic educational abilities and advancing to learning life skills and a trade, education is your most important goal during your early life. Until you have graduated from high school or college, learning shouldn’t take a summer vacation even if you do.

The future

Let’s have a glimpse into the future of education (click to enlarge).