|
June
2008
Plan Fun Activities, Quality Time With Your Child This Summer
Encourage Responsibility by Helping Your Child Enjoy Chores
Help Your
Child Ward Off Summer ‘Brain Drain’
Maintain
TV Viewing Limits During Summer Vacation
A Word From the Director
This summer, plan
to spend some quality time with your family and keep everyone’s brain
at work, too. Sit down with your child and make a list of all the fun
possibilities that are before you this summer. Ask yourself:
? Are there places in our town
we’ve never visited but would like to?
? Are there free concerts or
plays nearby? When are they scheduled?
?
What summer activities would we like to try? Are there things I could
do with my child, such as riding a bike or learning a new sport?
?
What are my child’s interests? What could my child do to
explore those interests?
?
Is a class available that interests my child? Whether it’s
learning how to make a video or how to knit, there may be a class on
that subject.
Once you have your list, narrow it down with your family. Choose three
things you all want to do this summer. Then make a plan so you can get
them done before school starts next fall.
How do you get your child to
want to do chores? Remember that elementary-age children love to plan
and carry out their plans. So first, involve your child in
brainstorming what needs to be done and when. Also:
þ
Be a good model. Happily
do chores yourself. Acknowledge your satisfaction when you finish a
chore.
þ
Give your child a
choice of chores. She should be able to take out the trash, vacuum,
fold laundry, feed a pet, help with yard work.
þ
Rotate chores each
week, so no one feels “stuck” doing a chore she doesn’t like. Put
chores on slips of paper family members draw from a bowl.
þ
Make a game of it.
Race to put things away. Or set a timer and see if your child can
“beat the clock.”
þ
Use a chore chart.
Place a star on it when chores are finished.
þ
Schedule a “work time”
when everyone is doing a job.
þ
Curb criticism. Don’t
immediately say what your child did wrong. Gently ask what she might
do to improve her work.
þ
Be encouraging. Say,
“Here’s the broom so you can help! You can do it. Let’s do this
together.”
þ
Follow chores with
fun. Have a basket of index cards listing fun stuff to do after
chores.
Back to Top
A new study shows that over the summer students can lose up to
60-percent of what they learned in the school year. This “brain drain”
in elementary school hurts performance in later school years.
To help
prevent a loss in your child’s learning skills this summer:
Hone
basic math skills. Let
your child measure and weigh as you cook. Help organize a lemonade
stand, and have your child figure out the cost of ingredients and
calculate change.
Explore
the natural world of science.
Have a family scavenger hunt for bugs, leaves, rocks and flowers.
Study the stars.
Keep your
child writing. Have
your child write your grocery list and thank-you notes. Ask questions
and have your child answer them in a journal.
Nurture
curiosity. Let
children disassemble and reassemble an old appliance (be sure to
supervise). Fill glasses with different amounts of water and tap on
them to create tunes.
Back
to Top
At the
end of the summer, what will your child remember? Hours spent reading,
playing and being outdoors? Or hours spent staring at the TV?
It’s all too
easy to let TV-viewing hours creep up during the vacation. But the
American Academy of Pediatrics wants parents to limit TV time to two
hours a day - or fewer. Here are some ideas about how you
can make that work during the summer months:
 Make a schedule. Set aside a time
each day for TV viewing. To make your schedule work, you’ll also need
to schedule time for activities like reading. While you’re at it,
schedule times for snacks so your child doesn’t eat out of boredom.
Stock up on other things to do.
Create a costume box for plays. Collect art supplies. Buy a few board
games.
Take TVs out of bedrooms.
Plan
trips. Go to museums, parks or on neighborhood walks.
Back
to Top
Greetings from PCN
It has been
a busy school year and I am already putting the baseball schedule for
my son’s summer games on my calendar. As your days get filled with
“must do” tasks, remember to take time for those you love. It seems
that we often get things done for everyone around us but do not take
time for our family or our own needs. I found this quote by Henry
Drummond, which puts things into perspective, “You will find as you
look back upon your life that the moments you have really lived are
the moments when you have done things in the spirit of love.”
These are words for all of us to live by.
The PCN office and website will be available to you all summer if you
have questions or need a resource. Please contact us by phone or
through this website for information on any parenting issue. The
Safe South Dakota site offers tips for talking with teens about
alcohol use and driving.
Enjoy the moments this
summer,
Darcy Jensen and the PCN Board
Back
to Top
|
