School is about to be done, (woohoo, can’t wait for the pool to open) but to keep the kids learning something and to keep at least a semblance of a schedule, I always have math, reading and some language arts activities to be done 2-3 times a week as well as some fun boredom busters on hand.
For all ages
I like to have good books to read for the summer and there are a couple of resources I like to use. I usually read every book before I give it to my kids so I can know what my kids are reading. My family likes Fantasy and Science Fiction so, again, I would recommend you read any books before handing it to your kids. We also do many books as read-alouds so I can monitor and teach my kids about discernment and worldview.
I like Honey for a Child’s Heart. It is a great book of lists. We have enjoyed the majority of books listed but there have been a few that I am glad I pre-read before I handed them to the kids.
I also like to get Sonlight Summer Readers.
For those who use My Father’s World, in the back of the manual from Adventures through 1850 to Modern Times, is a General Reading List of great, classic books by grade level. My kids chose one of those books every two weeks or so and then put their initials by them when they finished. All of them finished the entire list by High School and had a wonderful classic book list to their credit.
Jim Weiss Audio Stories – Nothing is better on a road trip than Jim Weiss stories or to give the kids something worthwhile to listen to during your daily afternoon quiet time. (In my house, everyone, regardless of age, have quiet time. It helps me maintain sanity) We also enjoy the Story of the World Audio Books and have used them as review over the summer or on long road trips. Jim Weiss Audio Stories
For preschool and younger elementary students
Summer is a great time to work on basic manners and I used A Little Book of Manners for Boys and A Little Book of Manners for Girls. We would read through a small section every day and then practice them while play acting a scenario and then try to work through them throughout the day.
I always like to have more “fun” math for summer and with younger kids, we enjoyed Mathtacular by Sonlight. Although I have never had my kids use them, we love the older Life of Fred Books so I would recommend the younger Life of Fred books. They start with Apples.
Lots and lots of arts and crafts that can be done outside. Play-Doh, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, sidewalk paint etc. I make a bin of outside crafts and activities that can be easily accessed.
Elementary kids
I have somewhat odd children who get very excited to have a workbook to fill in. I think it’s because we don’t do workbook style learning in our school year so they enjoy them for summer. The Critical Thinking Company has a ton of great workbooks. We like their logic and Editor in Chief series’. They are an easy way to keep the kids from regressing during summer without a lot if work on my part. My kids actually liked the books better than the software programs.
Mathtacular, Multiplication.com, Life of Fred, Art of Problem Solving’s Beast Academy (for mathy kids) and Khan Academy are fantastic math programs that we have used over the summer to keep our kids occupied and their skills sharp.
One summer, I bought a huge cardboard castle to color and it not only kept my kids very busy, it kept my best friends kids busy. So 7 kids were happy and busy for several hours a day for at least two weeks. If it was nice, they played on the patio but when it was yucky, they played on the wood floor. For hours, for days, 7 kids were happy and busy. Well worth the initial outlay.
I like to have my kids do a Bible Study during the summer and we really like the Kids Inductive Bible Studies. I usually start with the one about How to Study Your Bible but then let them choose what they are interested in after that.
Older Kids
If you haven’t discovered Mini Weapons of Mass Destruction, get it immediately. Not only did it keep the younger kids busy, it kept the teens, my best friends kids, my cousins graduated kids and the husbands busy for almost the entire summer. I made a list at the beginning of the summer of the needed supplies for the majority of activities in the book, took a trip to Wal-Mart and placed it all in a plastic container which the kids named, the “Awesome Box”. They build mini working trebuchets, catapults, bow and arrows out of pencils and pens, awesome rubber band guns, exploding pens, you name it. I also relegated this work to the patio.
