Parents know that the extensive break from school during summer vacation can often negatively impact the strides their child has been making in the classroom. Although it’s much shorter in comparison to summer vacation, winter break can potentially have the same negative impact on your child’s learning progress, too.
That’s why it’s important to fill these breaks with enriching experiences that continue to keep your child engaged. Although break time is necessary, the key is to find a balance between rest and activity that will enable your child to return to the classroom refreshed and come into the New Year strong.
Read daily.
Whether it’s in the morning or at night, encourage your child to spend time reading every day. It’s a great activity you can do together, and you can even make it festive by throwing some holiday books in the mix. To put a fun twist on it, set up a book club with your neighbors and have a friendly competition to see who can get the most reading done over the break.
If your child isn’t reading yet, be sure to read to them daily, as doing so will build their vocabulary and instill a love for stories.
Visit the library.
On the topic of books and reading, many local libraries have holiday-themed programs and interactive areas you can visit with your child. Pick out great books to share together at home, utilize different types of media, and take part in often free child-directed activities.
Visit the museum.
A museum is the perfect place to have fun and learn at the same time. Plan to visit one nearby and bring some friends along. If you’re able to, get a tour guide who can teach you and your child even more as you make your way through different exhibits. Keep your child engaged by asking questions and having them talk about the experience.
Continued learning doesn’t have to be boring, especially not when it takes place at home. There’s plenty of fun and festive activities you can get creative with over the holiday break to keep your child engaged and prevent them from experience learning loss during the winter break.
Write thank-you cards and use holiday-themed prompts.
What better way to have your child practice their writing skills than with thank-you cards? It’s the season of giving and now is the perfect time to teach or reinforce the importance of gratitude. For more attention-grabbing writing activities, incorporate holiday-themed writing prompts.
Get in the kitchen.
Holiday baking is a great way to involve your child in not only showing kindness to others – who doesn’t love homemade holiday treats! – but to also practice hands-on math skills and refresh on order, reading, and following step-by-step directions.
Do holiday shopping together.
You’ll likely have to bring your child along with you to complete some holiday shopping or to exchange gifts, so why not get them involved in the process? Use simple math to have your child assist with budgeting and purchases. Bring cash and ask them to count it out before you get to the register. It’s a hands-on way to illustrate how math is used in real-life scenarios.
Danielle Corbin is district leader at Rainbow Child Care Center, a leading provider of academic-based early childhood education.