Summer break is over soon, so what can you do to make the most of the remaining few weeks of summer? Here are five things that I recommend you do. We are definitely doing the same and in fact we have been doing it for some time now.
1. Bowl
In case you didn’t get the memo, kids bowl free in the summer.
Yes, we still have a few weeks to let our kids play a couple of games a day for free. And the best thing about this is that you and your family can spend a good few hours inside a bowling center which is normally nicely air-conditioned. And it’s easy enough to find a safe and secure place where you can hang out, relax, have some clean fun and friendly competition while eating and having cold drinks, which would just be perfect for those remaining long hot summer days.
To find centers which are offering this free program, visit this page and enjoy!
2. Swim
Everybody should know how to swim, or at least to float. And there is no better time to learn how than in the summer. I know that if you don’t have a pool in your backyard or a friend or relative’s house, then you would have to find a public pool which is safe, clean and have affordable rates. But as I have said, your kids will thank you for forcing them to learn how to swim, the earlier the better. You’d never know when it would come in handy.
3. Self-defense or Aerobics / Fitness Regimen
Another important skill that anybody has to have is the ability to defend one’s self, be it armed or unarmed. With these tough times, there is danger everywhere we go, much more now than ever. And bullying has never really gone out of style, in fact it is much worse now than a couple of generations ago. Depending on where you are, you can choose between self-defense classes or go all out and find a club or gym that teaches some form of martial art, either way would arm you with at least the basics of self-preservation and protection. Now if you can’t afford the classes, then I suggest just do aerobic or cardio exercises at home and build stamina, endurance and strength.
4. Read, Spell and Write
I am sure that almost all school age kids are a bit rusty with their reading and writing skills and with at least a couple of weeks before school starts this is a good time to start them practicing these skills again. So instead of playing video games, watching movies or chatting or online surfing, diligently allocating just five to ten minutes a day to read a book, another 5 to 10 minutes to practice their spelling and 5-10 minutes writing about their day or a story they want to share will give them a head start for their first days of school. Don’t overdo it, just make it a few minutes a day, preferably around the same time or at the time when they normally go to school. And then after 15 to 30 minutes, school’s out for the day, and they can be back to their summer routine until the next day.
5. Math
Now this is important. And you may have to actually do this longer than a couple of weeks. Why? Because math is one of those things that you can only master if you constantly practice it. But just like reading and writing, you shouldn’t overdo it as doing math for long hours is a recipe for destruction. Just have them do about five minutes of practice math a day, preferably before reading and writing. And make sure to give them questions that are age-appropriate and which would correspond to the level they would be taking in the coming school year. Start with very easy practice tests first, and you can even start with tests they have finished from their previous school year.