Many children and perhaps many teachers as well, will dash home from school later this month quite thankful that the school year has ended.
But learning occurs throughout life. Parents can help summer be part of their children’s ongoing learning, despite the heavy workload of a farm summer.
Learning occurs best out of curiosity. What are your children’s interests in life? What are their concerns? How can they explore new things during the summer?
Dr. Donna McGhie-Richmond says the key is to determine how your children are motivated, not how motivated they are. With young children, you find this by watching. With children eight or older, ask them. They may not have an answer immediately, but encourage them to share their ideas about how they discover what they like to do. Things your children get into right away without prompting are often a good sign.
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Regulate activities
Many summer hours may be spent in front of TV or electronic games. These are OK for short periods, but as a regular diet they slow down thinking and motivation.
Check on what programs or games they are playing. Set up a daily quota for how much time they spend at these each day. Children don’t get as involved in electronic games as they do when playing board games with each other.
McGhie-Richmond suggests parents focus on children’s successes. Help them see that their efforts lead to success of some kind, even if it was learning that trying to do something a certain way did not work.
Help children set goals that are realistic and achievable. Respond positively to any improvement. They have to encourage themselves, but your responses help.
When suggesting activities, offer two or three choices. Look for activities that will encourage their curiosity, such as a treasure hunt around the house for things, or co-operative Scrabble where everyone works together to make the best words.
Ask for their ideas at the start of each week and if possible, find time to do these activities, either as a family or with their friends.
Friends are important to children. If they or their friends have relatives their own ages visiting, encourage them to come up with ideas of things they might want to do as a group.
Exploration is a popular summer activity. However, make sure that the children are exploring an area that has definite boundaries to avoid the risk of a child becoming lost in the bush.
Finding flowers, berries, insects or leaves can become a nature expedition in itself. Celebrate after with food and praises for everyone who took part. Even a contest where the kids get prizes for filling a large pail with weeds can make work into fun.
Some evenings or around dinner, share the stories of your own summer experiences, including times when you made mistakes or felt embarrassed. This shows kids you are just as human as they.
The federal election is another opportunity for children to learn. Ask them what is important to them as persons, in our country and our world and encourage them to tell these to the candidates in their riding, perhaps by sending them a brief note, or a letter, depending on their age.
This will help them share their idealism and hopes.
It may take effort to schedule time with your children during the busy summer. But the family that talks together and walks together through the summer creates experiences that will stay with them for years.
Peter Griffiths is a mental health counsellor based in Prince Albert, Sask. His columns are intended as general advice only. His website is www3.sk.sympatico.ca/petecope.
