Now that the Christmas break is winding down for some, here are 3 quick tips to work in reading and critical thinking (if you haven’t done so) with the kids while off from school.
Keep Reading!
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| A Book is a gift you can open again and again |
It can be easier than you think to make reading relevant during the holidays. You don’t have to give your kids assignments or ask them to write up a book report when they’re done. Reading over the break can be fun, and you can work in some quality family time as well.
Since it is the holiday season, it seems like a no brainer to read holiday themed books throughout the season, but make it a family activity. The holidays are about family and spending time with one another, so you can incorporate reading into these cherished moments that you can remember for every future holiday to come. You can read aloud to your children, have them read to you, or do a mix of both!
But remember, you don’t have to stick to holiday related books. You can make other traditions and memories by sharing a book series with your children and reading the next installment each year or any other sort of rendition to this idea.
Aside from sharing books with your children, you can also gift them books as well! Personalized books can help reluctant readers garner interest in the act of reading, but they make great gifts for any child as well! To help keep kids engaged, you can have them write as well. Ask them to write out a holiday adventure, ask them to write thank you cards to family members that brought gifts or have them write in a journal about their holiday experience to have as a keepsake.
Take a Trip
Going on educational field trips is also a great way to make sure that kids keep learning and having fun over the summer, but this activity can easily be adjusted to meet the holiday season as well. Visit a museum or science center, or simply incorporate educational games into holiday trips if you will be busy traveling to see family. Ask kids to read license plates, try to spot some from as many states as you can! Have your kids read signs and try to help with navigation. See what landmarks they remember to and from your destination. Teach them about the places you are going and try to look up interesting facts about your town, family members’ towns and other locales you may visit over the break.
Take Some Time Away From Screens
Making sure that mobile devices are off for a good period of time will help ensure that your kids are engaged with family activities instead of being engrossed in the web, an app or anything else. But you don’t have to ban them entirely. If your kids play on a phone, tablet or computer, try to encourage that they play educational games and keep their screen time to a minimum. You can help to encourage this by having plenty of other activities available such as reading, family game time, cooking, and anything else you might do over the holidays.
We encourage these tips throughout the year, however, most importantly, when kids are off from school, because they are home and easier to incorporate lots of activities throughout the day instead of the normal school routine.
Most of all let them have fun but make sure it’s productive fun.
From our family to yours Have a Happy and Wonderful New Year! See you all in 2016!