Our school year won’t end until June 23rd which makes my kids and I think that we are the last to finish school this year. Hence, my summer learning plans are a little late in the making this year.
My two teen girls are away most of the summer. Grasshopper and Sensei will do a six-week Pre-College summer session at Rhode Island School of Design. She has some assigned books to read for AP English next fall where she will be a Junior in high school, and she will enter some art competitions.
PickyKidPix did not read enough this past school year while in 8th grade. She’s going to try to read five books this summer.
Book 1:
Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by Daniel James Brown
She’s a coxswain and this book comes highly recommended by her 10th grade friend Jess.
Book 2:
Completely Clementine by Sara Pennypacker, illustrated by Marla Frazee
She loved these books in elementary school and wants to read every new one. It’s her easy fun read.
Book 3:
Zac and Mia by A. J. Betts
Her sister recommends it. It’s similar to A Fault in Our Stars by John Green.
Book 4:
Flawed by Cecelia Ahern
She chose this book from the book store.
Book 5:
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
This is another book that she selected.
She also needs to review multiplication and division math facts. She’s actually very strong in math but her math facts are too slow. Finally, she’s been working on SAT vocabulary cards.
My son will start 6th grade next year. He’ll complete Daily Word Problems, 6th grade; the last book in the series. He’s done one book each summer. He will also work on Summer Bridge Activities, 5 to 6.
My kids’ summer learning plans might not match up to your kids. I’d like to share some great tips from Learning Heroes and Laura Bay, National PTA President, for summer learning ideas for your kids.
- Bring Homeroom Home: Use the extra spare time to incorporate learning into non-school days in a playful way. Start a book club for your entire household or use these fun math worksheets organized by grade level to incentivize upcoming outings or cool down at the end of a hot day.
- Keep It Social: To make sure the dog days don’t leave you out of the loop on new friends and influences, ask your child at least one open-ended question about their social lives per day (“Who did you eat lunch with today?” and “What did you do at the pool?”). Research tells us that adults are often the last to know about problems like bullying, and making sure peer relationships are part of your regular conversations at home will help you notice potential issues early.
- Start a College Conversation: One of the most powerful things parents can do to improve their child’s chances for success in college is simply to talk about it! Your child may be thinking more about water balloons and ice cream trucks, but don’t be deterred. Take a day trip to a nearby college and have a picnic on the lawn. Encourage them to talk to their camp counselors or coaches about where they went to school. You’ll learn more about what interests them, all while laying the groundwork for a solid academic future.
Seventy-five percent of parents believe it is very important or absolutely essential for their child to attain a college education, according to a recent study by Learning Heroes. And while that may seem far off, it’s never too early to set your children on the right path.
I hope these ideas help you with your summer learning plans. What will you be doing?
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p.s. Related posts:
Rising First Grade Summer Reading List
Reading Activities for Summer Learning Fun
Best Math Workbooks for Home or Summer Supplementation
Summer Math Ideas for Elementary and Middle School
Prevent Summer Math Slide: Going into 2nd Grade Daily Math Problems
Video Games for STEM Summer Learning
Week 10: Summer Math for 2nd Grade
BEST #OWNVOICES CHILDREN’S BOOKS: My Favorite Diversity Books for Kids Ages 1-12 is a book that I created to highlight books written by authors who share the same marginalized identity as the characters in their books.
I bet I would enjoy several of your daughter’s book picks!
Hi MaryAnne,
She’s picky so I think that might be true 🙂
Reading is so important to battling the summer slide. The tips from the PTA are great too!
Hi Arkiver,
It’s so hard to keep kids reading during the summer. My son has assigned summer reading but still it’s an effort to make it a daily habit.