Jamie Minter, fifth grade teacher at John Ross Elementary
If a parent asked how to keep a kid ready for
school during the summer, what would be your number one piece of advice? As for how to keep a kid ready for school during the summer, my number one piece of advice is to READ. A parent and child both need to pick out a good book for the summer. Multiple books for younger children, of course. Read by the pool. Maybe plan to read in the shade for thirty minutes, then swimming after that. If the parent(s) is reading too then it becomes a family event, not just something you are forcing the child to do. You can find a lot of opportunities for quiet time in the summer to relax and read.
What kind of activities are especially helpful
for getting a child ready to go back to school?Activities for getting ready for back to school... I don't think you can just pick a day and say "Hey, it's time to get back in the swing of things." But instead, just keep a flow of creative learning activities throughout the summer months. Cooking is great. You use a lot of math reading recipes. Visit a local museum. We always think that museums are something we do on vacation but in reality, they are in our backyard. Have a garage sale! Let the child help with pricing and making change with the customers. Another great idea is to rearrange your child's bedroom. Have them measure the perimeter of the room and draw it out on paper. They can measure furniture and plan if each piece will fit before actually taking action. A great way to revisit perimeter and area, plus they get a new bedroom in the end. Writing is also important. Have your child write a letter to someone and address the envelope. If you go on vacation, be sure to have your child send post cards. You can also help them make a photo album/journal of their summer break. Learning is all around us! Parents just need to ensure their child is engaged in something creative to exercise the brain!
How
do you think parents could get a kid excited about going back to school? Getting the kids excited comes from the parents being positive and excited as well. Back to school shopping for supplies and clothes should be fun and not stressful. Spread it out over a few days. Sit down with your child and go over their school supply list prior to actually going to the store. This will get the child thinking and excited to see what they can find when they go shopping. Make a list of clothing needs and set out to find a few items at a time. This will spread out the anticipation and allow the excitement to build. Also, have your child go through their closet and pull out items they no longer need. Take the nicest items and box them up to donate and let your child know that this will be someone else's back to school clothes. The more ownership you let the child have, the more excited they will be for school to start.
What do
you look forward to when going back to school? What I look forward to the most is meeting my new students. I am blessed each year to be given 20+ students and it's almost like opening a present. You never know what's inside, and you can't wait to find out. The fresh start of getting the classroom ready and knowing you have the chance to make a difference in a student's life is all it takes to get me excited about the new year.
