Easy Ways to Lead Continued Learning in the Summer

Having Fun with Learning this Summer!

Summer is one of our favorite seasons! Not only is it full of sunny skies, tasty foods, and relaxing days, but it’s also a wonderful time to keep your little one enriched in fun ways. While it’s a great time to take a rest from the long school year, it’s important to keep the learning going over the summer, and we’re here to share some of our favorite ways that you can help your little one continue growing their mind this season through summer learning (and maybe even learn some things alongside them)!

1. Make Learning a Priority: Before you even begin making plans for the summer, a good way to ensure that your little one will keep learning over the summer is to plan for it! This can show up in many different ways, but if you can set aside even 15 minutes to do learning activities each day, you’ll help your little one stay engaged with learning all while making sure they continue to love their educational experience! 
2. Check Out Opportunities at Your School: Many schools offer a number of engaging and fun camps and learning opportunities over the summer! Places like Playgarden Prep and Playgarden Online both provide different enrichment classes and learning modules that will help your little one socialize and continue their summer learning in great ways to promote healthy child development. Whether it’s music or movement courses, or a variety of online learning opportunities, your little one will have fun while developing so many new skills. 
3. Explore Your Environment: Take a look — the learning is all around you! Field trips with your little one can be some of the most enriching experiences for the both of you. You can take a journey to your local science museums, botanical gardens, aquariums, zoos, or other historical sites! Your little one will love getting to explore a new location, and you might learn something new, too!
4. Keep on Reading: It’s the learning method that never stops giving! Reading is such a multifaceted learning tool that will not only help your little one continue to build up their literacy skills and learning comprehension, but it can help them to learn about diverse perspectives and new topics through storytelling, too. We recommend setting aside at least 15 minutes to read, at a time you know your little one will enjoy it, every single day for strong child development.  
5. Write, Write, Write: Creative or communicative writing is another one of our favorite ways to keep little ones engaged with summer learning. Have your little one choose a friend to be pen pals with, or encourage them to write creatively, making up stories of their own! If your family is traveling over the summer break, letter-writing is a wonderful way to make sure your little one stays in touch with their friends over the season, and it’s one of the most helpful ways to make your little one feel more comfortable with expressing themselves on paper. 
6. Find Learning All Around You: Not all learning has to be so rigid or structured! In fact, sometimes the best way to help your little one continue to learn is to find the practical uses of learning that are all around us in daily life. If your little one wants a sweet treat, try baking with them — encouraging them to help you measure ingredients and keep track of time! If your little one is outdoorsy, try having them learn about how to properly grow sunflowers or another plant of their choice. Education is all around us if you know where to look!
7. Make Art: The importance of art in our lives can’t be overstated! Whether you’re finger painting, sculpting with model clay, or playing the xylophone, art encourages imagination in little ones. Art has also been shown to reduce stress and foster a love of creativity and expression. When you find ways to incorporate art into your little one’s daily life, you’ll notice the benefits, and so will they!

Learning doesn’t have to be a chore this summer! By finding fun and easy ways to incorporate summer learning, you can ensure that they’ll continue to love their educational experiences for years to come. Try Our Online Preschool for FREE! Playgarden Prep offers educational videos from real teachers, and numerous DIY projects that support early learning and child development.