Summer Learning Fun on Maui!
Summer on Maui is even more “kick-back” than the rest of the year. But our kids’ minds are still growing at a New York City pace! Luckily, it doesn’t take a lot of fancy gadgets or expensive learning programs to maximize our kids’ learning and development. Here are some tips to combine learning and fun so that everyone can have an awesome summer:
Schedule it right: Kids learn better after they “get their wiggles out”. Take them to the beach or the park early in the day, and they’ll be better able to concentrate later.
Focus on the senses: Young children are multi-sensory learners. Introduce them to unusual textures, tastes, smells, and activities. Try this fun activity: smear shaving cream on a cookie sheet. Let your child practice drawing shapes, letters, and numbers on the sheet with their fingers. Their little synapses will blossom!
Rely on nature: We have the world’s best classroom right outside our homes. Think like a teacher and draw, photograph, and save interesting items for later research. At home, create collages and stories about your fabulous finds of the day.
Kids in the kitchen: Hungry minds lead to hungry tummies. Little kitchen helpers learn about numbers, following directions, and the fun of working together by helping out in the kitchen. How about baking alphabet cookies for a snack one day? Make sure there are enough letters for each child’s name.
And finally, READ, READ, READ! Street signs, at the market, and at home before bed – all are great opportunities to focus on letters and reading. Don’t worry if your kids want to hear the same story over and over again – the repetition builds their memory, and helps them learn cause and effect.
But most of all – have fun together. Young children learn the most when they’re learning from happy parents!
