The nice weather has finally arrived, and that means summer vacation is around the corner. As a teacher, I’m just as excited about riding my bike, playing with my friends and going to the beach as the kindergarten students in my class. The last thing we all want to think about are math concepts and worksheets. However, there are plenty of fun ways to keep those little brains going that will help develop skills learned throughout the year. Here are 10 tips:

Math

-Sort objects such as coins, toys, cutlery, etc. and talk about how they are different or the same.

-Play board games in which children must move their game piece forward or backwards.

-Compare heights of people or things (e.g.tall, taller, tallest).

-Ask, “Which do you think is heavier? How do you know?”

-Point out colours and shapes at the grocery store or while walking down the street.

-Pose questions like, “How many cars do you think are in that parking lot?”

Wherever you are, there are interesting questions you can ask your child to get them thinking about math!

Literacy

-Visit your local library often.

-Make grocery shopping a learning experience. “Today we are going to find food that starts with the letter ‘B’”.

-Read daily and make it a special time. Talk about the characters way after the book has been closed.

-At the beach, trace letters in the sand or form letters with rocks.

-Have your child keep a journal of all the exciting adventures they experience this summer.

The important thing is to have fun and keep them thinking by asking interesting questions that even you may not know the answers to!