How to mentally prep your kids for back to school

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While it’s almost back to school time, summer slide is something a lot of parents are familiar with; the summer brain drain! This is the decline in one’s learning capabilities, especially during summer. There are five ways in which you parents can combat it, and get your kids mentally prepared to go back to school.

Disguise learning as fun

The first step is to know what your kids are interested in. You can know your child’s interest by watching them and getting to know what they like or do not like. Knowing this will help you better personalize your child’s learning and you will accomplish more with them. No matter what their interest is, make it a learning process cloaked in fun. You can practice spelling outdoors in a fun activity like swimming where your child can scoop alphabets from the pool and stack them in a colorful bucket on the floor and award prizes to the fastest.

Encourage them to read and write

In the same vein, make reading fun for your kids. You need to ensure that your child imbibes the habit of reading especially when he or she is not within the school environment. Always remember that kids would readily read if what they are reading is of interest to them. As they read, encourage them to write about what they are reading and their summer activities. They can even keep a journal with which you can bond together and this will go a long way to help them improve their writing.

Volunteer

Use one of these last summer days to help someone else. Kids need to understand the world from another perspective and learn that their contributions can go a long way toward helping others and make the world a better place. Through volunteering, leadership skills are learned and social skills are sharpened. They learn how to relate well with others and this can be a very important lesson that will help them as they navigate through life and the challenges it brings.

Technology can be a very useful tool

A kid will readily pick a phone or tablet over a textbook. So, why not use technology to your advantage and improve your child’s learning? Keep them active by using media and platforms they use on a regular basis. Digital media offers more interaction and engagement than traditional media or channels. It can be a mobile learning application or a family game you can all play together. Whatever it is, it should spark their imagination and curiosity and teach them new things in a fun way.

Embrace the power of exploration

Allow your kids to explore even if they fail while at it. It does not matter if your child makes a pancake that turns out to be soggy or the veggies they planted never grows! All that matter is that they are exploring and keeping their minds sharp and trying out new things. Show then different plants, insects, and animals and go on field trips to learn more about history.