Ask Dr. McCune

Make Summertime a Learning Time
by Dr. Lorraine McCune

Educators often bemoan the loss of learning in their students over the two-month summer break in the school year. Indeed, children do forget some facts and learning strategies and may take a few weeks in the fall to bounce back into classroom routines. One way to keep kids in a learning mode during the summer break is to give play center stage, something that should be an intimate part of school life in the early years.

For parents planning for summer, I suggest structured activities such as arts workshops and camps. These provide for adventurous learning with more opportunities for self-expression and recreational skill development than the school year usually can offer. But unstructured time—allowing for the natural flow from boredom to activities invented by children themselves or suggested by parents—provides special learning opportunities. Keeping materials, such as safe scissors, glue, washable paints and markers and paper, accessible allows for these sorts of spontaneous projects.

One colleague, a child psychologist, suggests providing children with a section of the family garden or a few pots on a patio or windowsill. If space permits, raising cherry tomatoes, which ripen fast and are small enough to be plucked and served by the child, is a particularly apt choice. Talk with them about the process of growing things and read them books with garden themes. These activities can enrich a child’s sensitivity to the pleasure of the outdoors as they learn.

Playing games with adults offers children a context for informal conversation as well as learning. Games, such as chess, that parents have never learned, can be learned along with their children. I find backgammon with my eleven-year-old to be a great challenge. Playing Memory with children ages three and up, Scrabble or Scrabble Junior, Monopoly (provided you start early in the day!), and my all time favorite, Sorry! are all options to explore.

Also, when you’re at the beach, don’t forget to spend some time writing messages and names in the sand. #

Dr. McCune is an associate professor at the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education and serves as advisor to educational toy company, General Creation. She can be reached at www.generalcreation.com in the “Ask Dr. McCune” section.

Education Update, Inc., P.O. Box 20005, New York, NY 10001. Tel: (212) 481-5519. Fax: (212) 481-3919. Email: ednews1@aol.com.
All material is copyrighted and may not be printed without express consent of the publisher. © 2001.