As we prepare to REACH FOR THE STARS FROM OUR OWN BACKYARDS, it’s important that we prepare. Here are some tidbits as you prepare. I’ll be posting examples of things I’m doing to prepare with in the next week as well.
Assess your capacity (time, space, calendar of events)
Assess your desires and priorities (What do you want for your child, your family, and yourself this summer?)
Take Inventory (What do you already have? Ideally we want to explore ways to use what we have, minimizing the need to buy extra items.)
Determine indicators of where your child is. (School reports, conversations with teachers, benchmark/milestone lists, etc.)
Check out benchmarks for the next school year or developmental year. (Remember every child develops differently and at various paces. (I just use benchmarks as a gauge and use the indicators to help develop activities and routines. I do NOT let them define my daughter’s potential.)
Take a break from thinking and planning if you feel anxious. This is NOT a summer of pressure. It’s a summer of exploration, fun, and growth.
Start creating buckets, folders, and/or lists for summer activities around the house or in the car. (This way once we begin, you won’t get overwhelmed with planning and organizing.)
Prepare a resource area/bucket in each frequently and commonly used space to make it easier for you to have accessible activities. [Ex. Bathroom book (could be a shoebox); kitchen bucket for magnetic learning toys for the refrigerator; storage bin in living room etc.]
Create a Library and Reading Space.
LIBRARIES
If you haven’t started a library yet, you can create one by designating bins for books or reserving a space on one of your shelves to hold and display your child’s books.
READING SPACES
Kids can make reading forts or reading corners using pillows and sheets from home. Make the reading space even more magical with a string of Christmas lights and a flashlight for nighttime reading.
Take Inventory of the Books You Already Have
Don’t disregard books from earlier developmental stages! We’ll be able to use many different types of books this summer. Also, hold on to those favorites and well used books. We can also amplify their learning with the questions we ask as they revisit familiar books.
EXAMPLES
1.) OLD BOOKS FROM YOUNGER YEARS: The “First 100 Words” books are great for early readers as well. You can cover the pictures with sticky notes and have your child practice sounding out the words. They can check themselves by lifting the sticky note. OR they can use the book to help with the spelling of words as they journal this summer. (I’ll be using it to help Zora identify nouns.)
2.) EXPANDING THE SERIES/COLLECTION: Sometimes children take a particular liking to certain books. If it’s a book within a series or a book by an author who has other books; encourage their excitement by adding to the collection at a pace that works with your budget. (Llama, Llama has become our bestfriend. I’ll share more later.)
3.) FAVORITES &/OR WELL USED BOOKS:
It’s said that “Repetition is the key to learning.” So let your little ones and not-so-little ones reread the books they love. They can even read them aloud to younger cousins, neighbors, or siblings. When they are ready to move on, they can also do a book swap between children in their circle.
Opportunities for Learning Are All Around
You have more than what you might think to get you started. There are learning opportunities/resources all around you. Here are some examples:
1.) Stairs - counting, skipping counting as you climb the steps (We’re on numerals 1-20, but use them to skip count with older children.)
2.) Magnets - my new best friend- use on the refrigerator, washer and dryer, or other surfaces around you and let kids identify, sort, match numbers and letters with objects. (We’re on identifying animals; so my husband and I call out an animal and our daughter either puts it on or takes it off the fridge. ) Children can match beginning and ending letters with the magnetic objects that you have while you cook dinner or sort laundry.
3.) Car Rides- Read aloud to favorite stuffed animals. I’ve picked books that I’ve memorized LOL so I can help my daughter or call out the text while I drive. (Don’t judge me. LOL)
4.) Meals - I have a young toddler; so meals are an opportunity for me to have our daughter practice fine motor skills. “Hold and scoop,” you’d hear me say if you were over during dinner. I’m trying to have her practice holding the side of her container and using the spoon to scoop her food. (More to come on mealtime opportunities)
5.) Stickers - As mentioned before, we’re on “identification,” but if my daughter was older, I’d have her use stickers to create a story with words and pictures. She could use stickers in place of some words.
