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Entertainment

3 Healthy Summer Habits to Help Kids Stay Sharp

July 27, 2018

Is summertime hurting your child’s education? Here are three healthy summer habits to keep kids sharp.

 

 

Summertime has arrived. Time to take out the tarp water slides, fill up the water-guns, and bite into some s’mores. Before you take off on your summer adventures, make sure you carve out some time for learning, too. Education can be an afterthought amidst summer fun but neglect can lead to brain drain – the learning loss that results during summer recess.

Research shows that students scored lower on tests at the end of the summer compared to when they took the same test before summer commenced. The good news is that creating healthy habits can prevent this. Here are three healthy summer habits to help kids stay sharp.

Reading

As schools close for summer, reading lists open up. While kids may complain, summer reading is crucial to learning and development. Kids who read at least four books during the summer scored better on reading comprehension tests than those who did not. If your child is struggling to work through their summer reading assignments, consider some new strategies. Actions as simple as a trip to the library or packing books on family vacations can prove beneficial in promoting reading habits. Since children often lose interest in reading, 60% of parents said that they let their children choose their own books. Sites like Brightly offer extensive summer reading lists for all ages so you can make sure your child stays literate throughout the summer.

If that’s not enough, consider a reading incentive program. Offer your kids a trip to the ice cream shop or $5 for every book they read. Harp on their interests to watch success unfold. The best news is that the more time they spend with their face in a book the less time they’ll spend in front of a screen. Now that’s a win.

Experiencing

There’s only so much you can learn from a textbook. Thanks to museums and zoos, you can easily enhance your child’s learning experience. Museums help kids take ownership of their learning by allowing them to engage with interactive exhibits, ask follow-up questions, and open a discussion for extended learning. If you can’t answer your child’s question, fret not. These environments allow you to learn together. New Virtual Reality technologies make this even easier by partnering with museums to bring historical exhibits to life through mobile apps. Make sure you’re set up with Cox’s High Speed Internet to access over 500 WiFi hotspots and download these resources on-the-go. Since school field trips are on a rapid decline, kids may no longer get these experiences during the school year. Take advantage of their free time to get them excited about education.

Playing

Summertime can still be all play and no work for the kids (or so they may think). From soccer teams to science clubs, children can benefit from routines that involve teamwork. Sports expose them to healthy competition which can result in increased decision making, self-control, and discipline. Let’s not forget about the social benefit, either. By meeting new peers and developing social skills, kids can feel more comfortable entering a new classroom in the fall. As they race up and down the field all summer, they’ll sweat away all traces of brain drain.

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