Go outside, it’s summer!
When the weather is warm, getting fresh air and exercise is easy. No need to bundle up against the snow, wind, and cold. Just grab your bathing suit, a light shirt and shorts, sunscreen, and a hat, and you’re ready to play outside!
Moving is essential
Exercise is necessary to stimulate a child’s physical and cognitive development. It doesn’t matter if they’re swimming at the beach, paddling across a lake, hiking through a forest, or playing ball in an alley—the key is to get moving!
Did you know? A simple dodgeball game, trampoline session, or park outing will promote your child’s motor and social skills.
Encouraging your child to be active and have fun outdoors has many benefits:
- Fosters global development
- Decreases stress and restlessness
- Improves attention span
Plus, after spending the day running around outside, children tend to sleep better—and spend less time in front of screens. (Shh! Don’t tell my kids!).
Keeping minds active in summer
Who says learning only happens 10 months of the year? Not me! In summer, there are so many opportunities for our children to learn while having fun and exploring their interests.
In addition to self-directed play and board games, you and your family can try out the following educational activities:
- Flying a kite
- Cooking (e.g., a snack, dessert, or salad)
- Sorting items by category
- Playing with building blocks and figurines
- Doing puzzles and playing logic or memory games
- Playing make-believe
- Creating a fun quiz after an outing
- Researching possible family activities
- Making a travel checklist
- Studying the weather for a few days
- Counting the number of coins in a piggy bank, clothes in a closet, or stamps in a stamp collection.
- Visiting historical sites
- Building a treehouse
- Drawing or painting
Learning through play
Playing alone, as a family, or with friends is a way for your child to disconnect from school and their usual routine. Play not only has excellent physical and psychological benefits for kids and adults alike, but also allows children to put what they’ve learned into practice.
They get to apply their newly acquired skills and knowledge in the real world.
For example, if you take your child on a family road trip, their reading skills will come in handy when it comes time to check hotel business hours, research attractions, or navigate hiking trails.
If you go to the beach, your little one can harness their math skills to prepare and portion out a picnic lunch, or to calculate how much money they need to buy an ice cream cone.
Start school with a head start
After a wonderful two months of outdoor adventures, your kids can go back to school rested and ready to learn. The knowledge they acquired through play might even give them a head start in the classroom.
What about you? Do you think it’s important to stay active with your children in the summer?
What are your favourite activities for staying physically and intellectually active?