Great Educational Summer Activities for Your Child

Choosing educational summer activities for kids over busy work or entertainment will show your child that you consider them intelligent and worthy of a quality summer. Not every parent chooses educational summer activities; some prefer to allow video games and play to fill their child's summer days. Then, they wonder how their child lags behind when school returns in the fall. Educational summer activities provide structure and prevent boredom. Kids who aren't bored stay out of trouble more and feel more valued by their families. Here are ten assorted educational summer activities for kids.

If your child likes intricate and different things, you can consider starting a rock or seashell collection together. Collecting rocks over a fun-filled summer gives your child souvenirs, especially if they save a rock from every educational trip you take. Igneous, sedimentary, conglomerate, and metamorphic, rocks provide a world of wonderful conversations. Fossils are a popular type for kids. Seashells too are a great collection subject. Part of the most exciting part of this educational summer activity is looking up your treasures after you get home.

Is your child interested in science? Keep a bird or weather journal. For this educational summer activity, the child begins with a spiral notebook. For a bird journal, purchase a birdfeeder (and hummingbird feeder if you like), a birdbath, various types of birdseed, a birder's guide, and a pair of binoculars so your child can list the various birds that visited over the summer. For a weather journal, a rain gage and outdoor thermometer are great. Allow your child to make observations at several set times a day, like breakfast, noon, and bedtime.

If your child is interested in social politics, consider arranging a rummage sale charity fundraiser. For this educational summer activity, have your child make the arrangements for when the event will be held, which charity to donate the money to, and which relatives and friends to ask for donations from. This activity will teach your child how to be charitable.

Children gifted with language arts might enjoy writing a book over the summer. For this educational summer activity, you will need a book blank, pens, colored pencils, pencils, and information about various authors to use as inspiration. Many companies offer book blanks. You may decide to purchase more than one book blank to use as a rough copy. If the book is exceptional, consider self-publishing multiple copies for families and friends through a service like lulu.com.

Educational summer activities for kids help children dream. Summer stargazing is a great activity that can set your child's dreams alight. To make this educational summer activity great, you need a decent telescope, a star-finder wheel, a star guide, and preferably a planetarium projector to recreate the summer sky. This is a wonderful educational summer activity to share.

Kids who love drama might enjoy writing and performing a puppet play. For this educational summer activity for kids, you need puppets (or the means to make some), an area for performing, and the imagination to help your child write a script. Be sure to be a good audience.

Some children enjoy raising animals over the summer. Sea Monkeys, ant farms, tadpoles, praying mantis cases, and even ladybugs make great animals to raise. This educational summer activity for kids would be best for children who enjoy learning about the lifecycle of small creatures.

Kids love growing things themselves. The sense of accomplishment from enjoying a home-grown ripe tomato they are responsible for is a wonderful experience. Tending a garden is a great educational summer activity for kids who are interested in botany and science. For this educational summer activity, you will need a small space for planting, seeds, and tools for gardening. If you don't have land available, consider container gardening.

Nature lovers will love starting a leaf scrapbook. This educational summer activity is a great excuse to go hiking with your child! The very best way to preserve leaves for your scrapbook is to either use a flower press or to take a large sealable plastic cake saver, put a paper towel in the bottom, add a cm of silica gel crystals, lay leaves in one layer, cover with silica gel, add another paper towel and another layer of leaves. This method preserves color much better than a flower press.

The final educational summer activity for kids in this article is to learn a new language together. For this educational summer activity, you need language software or take a local class. Celebrate your new language by going to a foreign restaurant or attending a cultural festival.

The best summers are those where you feel you have accomplished something. It is no different for your child. Have a great time with your educational summer activities but don't forget that summer time is a time for a break. Be sure to make it fun.