My first step each year as summer approaches is to do a quick look back at the school year to see if any of the kids need work on skills over the summer. We do take a homeschooling pause, but sometimes my kids are at a sensitive period for a skill, and I like to keep them progressing. I’ve also found that my kids do better with a rough schedule and at least some structure to their day. So while summer absolutely contains a lot of free play and choice, I like to plan a few activities a week.
With that in mind, here are some of the summer resources I’m using this year for each kiddo.
Summer Resources: Math
I’ve got a couple of kiddos who need to practice their math facts this summer. I want William to keep his subtraction and addition skills strong, and G never managed to fully memorize her multiplication facts this year in math. So we’ll be using Xtra Math this summer. I’ve posted about it before, and it’s my favorite math resource, not least because it’s a free one. You can customize what skills you want your kid to work on, and the reports show you exactly which equations they’re struggling with. Bonus, since it’s on the computer, my kids automatically think it’s fun. 😉
Charlotte is getting ready for kindergarten next year, and needs some help with recognizing numbers 1-20. She can count them without a problem, but has a hard time seeing the number and knowing it’s name. I found these fantastic sticker by number books. They look just like the sticker by number books her big sister LOVES, so she feels like a big kid when doing them. When we work with them, I sit next to her and have her say the number, find the number, then stick the number.
Summer Resources: Language
William is still an early reader, but is finally hitting real fluency, so we’ll continue reading out loud every day. We both love the Now I’m Reading sets of books. I’ve had good luck finding hard copies used, but we also have some kindle versions which let him read out loud to me on a tablet.
For Charlotte, I found the same sticker by number books but for letters. It lets us practice alphabetical order, letter names, and letter sounds. When we do this, I sit with her. We say the letter name, say it’s sound, and find it on both pages.
My favorite rest time resource
My kids are outside all summer long, from sun up to sundown (that’s not even an exaggeration, sorry neighbors . . . ). But sometimes I do need to pull them inside to let them cool down and rest. It’s really remarkable how tired they get.
Our kids received a Yoto player for Christmas, and I cannot say enough about how amazing it is. It lets them listen to all the audiobooks they want without needing me or my phone. There are no screens and no internet browser to entice them either. Plus, I can add podcasts and make playlists on the blank cards. Did you know that there’s a Thomas Storytime podcast? We even found a shipwreck podcast for William! It’s my go-to for rest time, and a great way to pull them inside and give their bodies a break from all of the play.
Seriously, this thing is amazing. We took it to the dentist yesterday. Game changer. No fussing, no fighting, just Winnie the Pooh.
Other Summer Posts
And finally, for ease of use, here are some of the summer-themed posts in the archives:
- Summer Reads
- Planning a Summer Pilgrimage
- Catholic Activities for Your Summer Break
- June Resources
- Summer Homeschooling
- Beach Reads
Happy Summer!