Children are very malleable. As a parent, this is both exciting and intimidating. The good news is that you can point them in a positive and stable direction by teaching them educational lessons at an early age. And what better time to teach them than this summer?
5 Educational Experiences Your Kids Need This Summer
In the summer, kids are out of school and have plenty of free time. They can either waste this free time with mind-numbing video games or take full advantage of it by learning new things. As a parent, you’re a key facilitator in making the latter happen.
1. Learn a New Sport
Every child should learn to explore different sports at a young age. You shouldn’t force a child to like a certain sport, or even stress over whether or not they’re good at it, but you should expose them to sports. There’s something very educational about learning the rules of competition, being part of a team, and coming to terms with your competitive spirit. Soccer is a popular sport for young kids, but don’t forget about baseball and basketball.
2. Learn How to Water Ski
Is there anything better than being out on the water? Well, maybe water skiing behind the boat. The thing about water skiing (and other water sports) is that it’s best learned at an early age. If you teach kids how to waterski when they’re young, it’ll become second nature to them. However, if you wait until they’re grown up, they may find it challenging. There’s no better time than summer!
3. Go Camping
Have you ever taken your kids camping? Camping is very educational for kids, and most of the time they love it. There’s just something about spending time outside, cooking dinner over a campfire, and sleeping under the stars that ignites a child’s imagination. Not to mention that they’ll learn a ton of valuable life lessons from camping trips. Start with a brief one-night trip in a commercial campground. If they enjoy that, you can move on to longer trips in the future.
4. Build a Tree House
Kids like to build things with their hands. However, if we’re honest, most of the stuff they make at school comes with a one-way ticket to the trash. Not that painted handprints on construction paper aren’t great, but kids need to understand the value in building something slightly more permanent. A tree house is a great option, because it takes time to build and can be enjoyed for years.
5. Take on Household Chores
How nice would it be if you could cross tasks like taking out the trash and unloading the dishwasher off your list? Well, if you have children who are six, seven, or eight-plus, they’re very capable of learning simple chores. Let them know that they’re a big kid now and that big kids do big chores. This will make them much more appealing. You should also try tying rewards to chores in the beginning to reinforce the idea that they matter.
Make it a Summer to Remember
As a parent, there can be a lot of pressure to fill your child’s time with fun and exciting things. And while fun and exciting should certainly be at the top of the list, don’t underestimate the importance of educational. When you look at things like waterskiing, camping, and building a tree house, there’s a pretty large intersection between fun and informative–things that your kids will love while not making you feel guilty for wasting their summer. Keep these suggestions in mind and make this summer one to remember!
Featured photo credit: USAG- Humphreys via flic.kr
