Summer will soon be here and with it the end of the school year. For many families, that means their kids’ interaction with the English language slows down. So what can parents do to keep the English learning going this summer?
As an English teacher you may be asking yourself what can parents do to keep the English learning going this summer in ways that are fun and can actually enhance chidren’s natural language abilities.
With a little English spread throughout the summer, kids will retain what they have learned and go back to their English classes more confident of their abilities.
The key to keeping up English during the summer is finding activities that fit families’ schedules and are not too complicated.
Here are some tips for you to share with parents on spending the Summer creating precious memories with their little ones while practicing and expanding their English abilities.
These recommendations are for ALL families whether they travel or stay at home:
- Enjoy Summer with our Picture Books.
Provide a list of books for summer reading. Languages4kidz Bundles are a great place to start.
Invite parents to:
Cuddle up with their children and read books together under a tree, at the park, at the pool, before bedtime or at any time during the day. Reading is one of the best ways to strengthen children’s language skills. Books allow children to review vocabulary and learn new words and expressions. They can talk about the book and do fun activities related to the theme in the book, such as drawing, puzzles, matching cards, art projects. They can find these and more interactive activities for our books on Languages4kidz website. These activities are FREE.
2. Listen to songs and sing along is another way to add English to their summer. They can listen to songs in the car, on a trip, on their way to their grandparent’s house or while making dinner. Songs are always appealing to young learners and are an excellent way to reinforce what they are learning in their classes. There are plenty of apps and channels in YouTube with kids’ songs in English.
Check out or downloadable songs for kids HERE.
Listen to some samples:
Skinnamarinky
Head and shoulders
Eeency, weensy spider
5 little monkeys
3. Play “I Spy” in the car, at the park, at the supermarket or at home. “I spy with my little eye, something red.” (A red car.)
4. Open the back door and go camping.
Grab their best camping tent from the garage and pop it open, or get crafty and create a teepee with the kids.
Have kids play some outdoor games while engaging in English:
- Look at the clouds and find similarities to shapes or objects. (That cloud looks like a bear. That one looks like a heart.)
- Engage in a scavenger hunt to keep basic vocabulary fresh
- Prepare some s’mores together following a recipe in English
5. Watch some movies together.
Kids movies, TV shows and short online videos can be useful to expose kids to the English language.
Disney films have the advantage of being familiar to many kids. They entertain the whole family, are good exposure for younger kids and provide lots of new language.
Short videos for engaging kids in art projects are excellent for vocabulary and for following instructions. With a few simple steps, kids will be on their way to a super fun learning activity.
We recommend the following:
Make a kite by Lets Family Spain and then enjoy flying it with your children
Make play dough with flour, water and salt by Play Doh Kitchen.
Make silly putty by Emmymade extras.
Make a fishing game with magnets, sticks, rings, cotton, floss, wiggly eyes and different colors of felt. When the pieces are ready “Go Fishing” and have fun.
6. Take children on a nature walk and help them collect summer flowers, sticks, rocks and leaves to then use in art and crafts projects. Give them a magnifying glass and encourage them to look for bugs. Review the vocabulary related.
7. Prepare some healthy snacks after reading “Recipes for a healthy snack”. Pack them in a picnic basket with the Go Fish game you made together and enjoy a fabulous day at the park.
