Preschoolers don’t stop learning when school is out for the summer. A great way to ensure that they retain all they learned during the school year is with summer enrichment . Following is a list of five summer enrichment ideas for your young child. These ideas and activities can be done at home in your backyard. These ideas are great for children with or without disabilities. Children vary in individual abilities, disposition, and learning styles. Due to genetics and environmental factors, developing children will hit physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional milestones at their own pace. It’s important to vary enrichment activities. Include physical activities like running. Add some cognitive activities like looking at age-appropriate books to prepare them for the upcoming academic year.
COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT
Outside activities are fun
The beginning step in learning to read is to identify letter shapes. A great way to study this as part of summer enrichment activities is to give your child a small tray with some sand in it and ask him to trace letter shapes with his finger. This activity originates from Montessori teaching methods. This activity can be done using various materials in place of the sand. Read about the 11 habits you can do to help your child love books from Reader’s Digest.
Another cognitive activity inspired by Marie Montessori is growing a garden. The Montessori methods base age-appropriate activities and teaching opportunities on real-world activities, like planting and maintaining a garden. Read more about this teaching method from the American Montessori Society. Let your preschool student plant seeds in an egg carton to start seedlings. They can transfer the seedlings to a bigger planter or right into the garden.
SOCIO-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The preschool years are an important time for your child to begin developing a strong sense of self that will lead them into the school years. The Nevada Department of Education also provides guidelines and standards that successful preschool programs and activities should meet to benefit the children. Take a look at the Nevada Pre-K Standards and Early Education Guidelines before planning summer enrichment activities for your child.
One of the goals of summer camp for young children is to help preschoolers develop a positive sense of self. Making things with their hands and being praised for their finished product accomplishes this goal. Give your children fine motor abilities stringing beads of different shapes, colors, sizes, and texture to make necklaces or doorknob hangers.
Your preschooler loves to play with different materials and doing science experiments. Help them make volcanoes in the sand. Make a small, 5-inch, sand hill with a well in the center, or bury a 16-oz empty water bottle like the example in the link. Add 3, tablespoons of baking soda in the well and a few drops of dish soap to 12 ounces of warm water. Help your child pour in about a cup of vinegar and watch the fun erupt.
MOTOR SKILLS DEVELOPMENT
Summer enrichment programs and activities should include fine motor and gross motor skill development. This category of physical development can be used in the summer through preschool enrichment and summer enrichment programs. There are many activities that kids can do with their hands. Other activities involve large muscle movement like running, jumping, and throwing that are fun and educational.
Summer enrichment programs aim to provide preschool students with as many opportunities to move around as possible. What can be more fun in the Nevada summer than water play? Add a twist to traditional water balloon fights by incorporating it into a relay race. Kids can race to a bin with water balloons then throw them at a target. This may be a more fun option because the water from the water balloons will splash on the kid or into another bucket before they are able to continue the relay race.
Enrolling your child in summer enrichment for your preschooler in Las Vegas is a great way to keep them active and learning throughout the summer break. It can ensure that they get off to a good start when school begins. Summer camp in Las Vegas combines standards for cognitive, socio-emotional, and motor skills development. This will keep your child learning while having fun. Reserve their spot in a Las Vegas summer enrichment program today.
