How to Keep Kids Motivated to Learn During Summer Break

All kids can't wait to hear that last bell ring before summer vacation starts. They learned all school year long and now they just want to relax and have fun during their summer break, which comes and goes in a flash. Keeping kids motivated to learn during the summer can be a difficult task, but it doesn't need to be. It is important for them to stay focused and motivated so that when school is back in session, they are ready to go.

I have four kids. My oldest is going into junior high this school year. My three boys are toddlers, ages 4, almost 3 and 19 months. For the younger kids, it isn't such a difficult task. They love to learn and learning is generally made more fun and interesting at that age. My older child is the one that needs to stay motivated and on track, without going overboard or pushing the education on her.

The best way to teach a child or get them interested in learning is to bring it down to their level and make it fun. We often do things during the summer that they wouldn't even realize was a learning experience. One way to help the younger kids is to read to them and take them on a little field trip to the library. Since they cannot read yet, you must read to them but letter recognition comes into play here, especially for my four year old. I let him pick out his own books, based on the pictures of course. To get my older child involved, I will plan a story time for all the kids. My oldest child will read to my younger children. We will sometimes act out the books as well. This teaches creativity and tells them that they should not be scared to do things like that. In school, many teachers will have the kids get up in front of the class and read or act something out. This way, if you start off early in life, chances are that they won't be so opposed to it when they are in school. Another thing that can be learned in the library is numbers. Trying to find certain books by looking in the computer can also be a number lesson.

I teach music by putting on a CD or music channel and just letting the kids sing and dance to it. They just love this. It gets them moving and they use their energy in a positive way, instead of beating up on each other. When they are ready to sit down and relax a little, we will get out the arts and crafts supplies and do some art projects. My husband recently made graham cracker houses with them while I was out. They used graham crackers, store bought icing and sprinkles and put together little houses and decorated them. This not only teaches art but also how to work together to get a project done.

Chores are a big thing in my house. I am constantly teaching them how to do new things. My 19 month old loves to help with the laundry. He puts the clothes in the washer and then when they are ready to come out of the dryer, he will take them out and put them on the bed. You might think that none of this has anything to do with learning skills. It does though, really. If I introduce something new to my kids each and every day, they will stay motivated to learn and they welcome a new thing the following day.

As a science lesson, we will go outside and look for bugs. Not my favorite thing to do but they enjoy it. Just last week, we found a snake and a lizard all within a few minutes. We have a lot of wildlife in our yard and we talk about each animal we see. We have seen bears, deer, skunks, raccoons and turkeys run through our yard. After we see a particular animal, we will run to the animal book and look it up and learn all we can about it. We have gone on field trips to small zoos in the area as well. We went on a hike and saw a raccoon looking for fish. They have seen a lot of neat things up close and they love to learn all they can about them afterward.

To learn shapes and colors, we will watch a Brainy Baby movie. They just love to do this. These movies teach through song and visual aids. It keeps them interested for the entire movie. When we are driving somewhere, I will ask them to find a certain color. They just start shouting out things that are that color. This has helped my two year old to learn his colors. He always got confused on his colors but that game helped to keep him motivated to keep trying and now he knows all of his colors.

I help to teach them computer skills and hand eye coordination by playing either games on the computer or the Playstation. My four year old has progressed so much with hand eye coordination by doing this. He loves to play a game where he has to find balloons that are the same color and are touching each other and then he gets to pop them. He loves that. All the kids enjoy that game.

I keep them motivated to be healthy by teaching them what foods are the best choices for snacks. I let them help to prepare meals and snacks and they help me in the grocery store as well. We exercise together and they know that exercise and a healthy diet are needed to stay healthy and free from illness.

I help them to learn about responsibility by having them take care of the pets in the household. My oldest child is the sole caregiver of the bird. She feeds him daily, cleans his cage and makes sure that he isn't getting a draft. She also takes care of the dogs, with the help of the other kids. They take turns letting the dogs out into the back yard. They make sure that the dogs have fresh water and food daily. They also make sure that they get adequate exercise daily, since they are lazy dogs. My kids certainly get them moving!!

So you see, it isn't too hard to keep kids motivated to learn. Keeping them involved in things is the key. Kids learn by example so setting a good one is the first step. If you keep motivated and are not lazy all summer,then they will tend to be more active and wanting to learn. Kids are like sponges, they just take everything in and hopefully they keep the knowledge in a safe place. When school starts back up, they won't feel as if they did nothing all summer. I try to keep learning fun so that when school starts, they have some great tips on how to enjoy learning. Keeping kids interested and motivated isn't as hard as it sounds. Pay as much attention to them as possible and let them have a voice. Creativity is a great thing. Watching television is not a bad thing like some might argue. Just make sure that they are watching age appropriate shows. My younger children love Dora the Explorer, Handy Manny and Blue's Clues. My oldest child likes Ned's Declassified and Drake and Josh. These shows do have lessons in them and they are appropriate shows for my children's ages.

Although, every thing that I listed has its place in keeping kids motivated to learn, the most important thing is to play with your kids. Enjoy them whenever possible. This teaches them the most important lesson of all...that they are your number one in life and that you love them. Studies over the years have proven that children that are given more attention and love on a daily basis, will thrive in life much easier and happier than a child that is ignored and not told that he or she is loved. I bet that while you are trying to teach your children a lesson or two that you end up learning just as much as them.