How to Keep Your Child Engaged and Learning During the Summer
As summer approaches, many parents ask the same question: how do we keep our kids active, engaged, and learning over the summer break? While summer can (and should) allow plenty of time for rest and fun, it also provides opportunities to build your children’s education in ways they don’t experience in the classroom.
Summer programs provide these learning opportunities in a casual, fun way. Whether full time or part time, summer care and learning programs provide the perfect blend of structure, social connection, and learning continuity, all while creating summer memories that will last a lifetime!
Why Summer Programs Matter
Summer programs aren’t just about filling up your summer calendar – although that’s often essential for working parents! They also expand your child’s education in ways that feel like play, not school. A high-quality summer program is both enriching and full of curious exploration. Children can dive into the world of science through STEAM projects and engage with the local community through service-learning activities.
Kids can dive into topics not often covered during the school year. With a loose summer structure comes plenty of time for adventures that promote teamwork, communication and social-emotional skills.
Keeping Your Child Engaged at Home
Summer learning can easily happen outside of formal camps or classes. There are plenty of ways to keep your child learning and exploring right at home!
1. Build a Summer Routine
Children thrive on structure and knowing what to expect. Routines shouldn’t completely disappear in the summer months. A consistent pattern of daily activities, such as reading time after breakfast, can help maintain a sense of stability while keeping young minds active.
2. Incorporate Learning into Everyday Life
Everyday tasks can be great opportunities for learning. For example, cooking together can build an interest in science. Even watching a thunderstorm or going for a walk can spark curiosity about nature and the weather.
3. Create a Reading Challenge
Many summer camps have a summer book club to encourage reading all summer long. Tracking and supporting summer reading at home can help your child become a book lover from an early age!
4. Encourage Independent Projects
Summer is the perfect opportunity for your child to explore topics that are of interest to them. Whether it’s space, dinosaurs, or puppies, project-based learning encourages creativity, problem-solving, and develops their sense of independence.
Choosing the Right Summer Program
Learning doesn’t have to be paused in the summer months. With a mix of structured summer programs and home-based learning, your child can stay engaged and ready for the school year ahead.
To make the most of summer programs, think about your child’s interests, personality and learning style:
- Looking for ways to help your child grow socially and emotionally? Explore programs that have respect, responsibility, and inclusion woven into their everyday experiences.
- Does your child love being active and outdoors? Many programs promote fitness, wellness and confidence through high-energy games and movement-based activities.
- Is your child fascinated by how things work? STEAM based camps let them dive into activities and hands-on experiments that bring science to life.
At New Horizon Academy, we offer this and more through a wide variety of engaging, age-appropriate summer experiences that balance learning and fun. Whether your child is interested in science, art, outdoor play, or reading, our summer program is designed to support their development and keep them engaged all summer long.
Spots fill quickly! Enroll today to reserve your child’s place.
New Horizon Academy is a nationally accredited preschool and early learning provider with over 100 schools in Minnesota, Colorado, Idaho, Iowa, and Kansas. Our preschool and pre-k programs use a research-based curriculum to prepare children for kindergarten through a variety of developmentally appropriate and engaging activities to support physical, cognitive, language, and social-emotional development.
Schedule a tour to learn more about our highly trained teachers, safe and secure facilities, and commitment to providing the highest quality education and care. Contact a New Horizon Academy school near you today!
