For many parents, the thought of the school year coming to an end and summer approaching breeds anxiety. How will I keep my children entertained? What camps should I enroll my daughter in? Will time off from school affect my son's academic progress? How can I support my child’s learning over the summer?

These are all good questions, and they all have answers. The John Hopkins University National Center for Summer Learning provides research and statistics on the benefits of summer enrichment activities. “To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills. This is especially true during summer months." (National Center for Summer Learning).

“Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do (Duffett et al, 2004).” (National Center for Summer Learning)

Just because children are not in school over the summer, does not mean there aren’t plenty of things for them to do to enrich reading, writing, math, and science skills! Below are just a few examples of how you can make the most of your child’s summer! We hope you find our links and suggestions helpful!

Simple Summer Learning Tips:

Going on a trip? Have your kids help you get directions online and calculate the mileage and amount of gas needed. Have your kids take pictures of your trip and make a story book describing your trip with personal photos!

Going to the market? Have your kids help you calculate how much money you will need for the items on your list. For younger children, write your grocery list in big letters and help your child recognize similarities in letters and foods and point out items.

According to Read, Write, Think, “grocery shopping provides many opportunities for children to develop language and math skills. As they plan and conduct a shopping trip, they practice skills such as writing, reading, addition, and subtraction. This activity is a great way to combine writing and math problem-solving in a real-life situation.”

Get Outside! Take advantage of the outdoors and teach your children about the world around them through nature walks, arts and crafts using nature, learn about the ocean by going to the beach. Explore the world with your five senses, take pictures, write about your experiences.

Make Math Fun! Teach math through sports - Use your child's favorite team's statistics to enrich simple math skills over the summer. Click here or here for more sports related math games. 

Try a math bedtime story once a week! This teacher provides a great list of fun math bedtime stories!

Explore Your Local Library! Take advantage of the many resources your local library provides including free summer literacy programs, story hours, and more. Click here for more ideas!

Here's a list of a few local libraries for your convenience:
Santa Monica Public Library
601 Santa Monica Blvd.
Santa Monica, CA 90401
(310) 458-8600
www.smpl.org

Friends of Pacific Palisades Branch Library
861 Alma Real Drive
Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
(310) 459-2754
http://friendsofpalilibrary.org/

Culver City Julian Dixon Library
4975 Overland Ave.
Culver City, CA 90230-4299
(310) 559-1676

More Summer Learning Tips from National Center for Summer Learning!

July 9th is National Summer Learning Day!

Get Outside & Explore With Your Children!