What’s Summer For?

Kids get ramped up for it, teachers crawl toward it, and parents wonder what they’re going to do to keep the calendar filled. For some, it’s an opportunity to take a trip, or go to camp. For others, it’s all about getting things done around the house. For some, it’s just a chance to take a breath and relax.

They’re all good uses of two months off, but it’s really important to note that for a kid, learning doesn’t stop when school finishes. They may not be keen to do math worksheets and grammar exercises, but they do eventually (sometimes quickly) get bored if they aren’t kept engaged and thinking. Summer is the perfect time to brush up on and build thinking skills, and your kid doesn’t even have to know they’re doing it.

Here are some fun things to do that will keep the big questions and the conversations coming:

·      Make up a new game or sport in the back yard and turn it into a discussion of fairness. Who is it for, and how is it played? Can everyone join in, and will they all get a chance to be successful at it? What is the most fair game or sport they can think of, and what makes it fair?

·      Break out the sidewalk chalk and ask a little thinker to draw the most beautiful thing they can think of. Have them turn the entire driveway into an art exhibit, if they like. Ask questions about what makes something beautiful, and if beauty is the same or different for everyone.

·      Take a trip to the zoo or aquarium, and ponder whether different kinds of animals think and feel like humans do. How can we tell? If we could communicate with animals, what would we want to know about them? What would we want them to know about us?

·      While they’re trying to turn their brain off for the break, have them talk about whether it’s actually possible to think about nothing at all. How do we know if we get there, and would we actually want to?

·      As the summer rushes by, chat about the old adage “Time flies when you’re having fun.” Does time actually speed up and slow down depending on what we’re doing, or does it just seem that way? Are there different ways to look at time?

These are easy to slip into whatever your kid fills their summer with, and it’ll keep them in thinking condition until school starts again in the fall. As always, make it a rule that they explain the “why” behind their ideas, be open to many different answers to questions, and let them know that you value and respect what they have to say.

Whether you ask big questions around the campfire, in the car on a road trip, or while splashing around in a kiddie pool, we wish all thinkers, big and small, a marvelous summer vacation!

If you need a little help and inspiration, check out our free resource page for parents!