School vacation can be a great time for family fun. Here are some simple ways to keep young children productively engaged, using all five senses (note that these activities can be enjoyed either at home or away on vacation):
If at home, check the schedule at your local library. Many have special reading events planned, or other activities that could be of interest to your child.
On your cell phone, or other recording device, let your child read and record a short story or poem for you, a grandparent, or other family member. This helps a young reader hear his own reading fluency.
If weather permits take a “nature walk” in your neighborhood, local park, or vacation destination. Gather samples of leaves, pinecones, acorns, flowers, shells etc., and glue them to construction paper for a nature collage.
With small objects such as Legos, pennies, or small rocks, play with the different ways to make a total of “10.” (9+1; 5+5; 6+4; etc.). When she masters the various ways to make “10,” addition and subtraction will become much more automatic. This dramatically helps improve math fluency and accuracy.
Play a guessing game. With eyes closed have him guess what an object is by its smell. Scratch an orange, peel an onion, squeeze a lemon, unwrap a Hershey’s Kiss, or sniff a favorite pickle! Tally his correct guesses.
Keep a daily “vacation journal.” In a small notebook, paste post cards, photographs, or simply draw pictures of your family’s activities for that day. Next, have your child write short sentences to describe the pictures. Help her write the sentences, if needed. This can become a treasured family vacation keepsake.
With simple creativity, winter break can be a fun yet constructive week for young students!