I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Carson-Dellosa #SmarterSummer. I reviewed the free content on their website to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for my participation.
We are in the middle of our summer break and have learned over the years that my definition of summer break and my kiddos’ definition of summer break are very different. They think it means a “break” from EVERYTHING…chores, school, probably thinking too! ha, ha! Basically, chaos for this mom!
I tried to convince my kiddos to make a mess so I could take a picture but once they realized they would have to help clean up, they refused. Smart kids!! So a blast from the past will do! 😉
In order to avoid their version of craziness I came up with a plan before school ended on how we can still relax and keep the fun, but also keep a little structure and cleanliness so we ALL can be happy. My plan is pretty simple and the kiddos pretty much have it down as routine. Basically, they have a handful of daily Must Dos before they can watch a movie, play a video game (or use any digital device) or have friends over. They can choose when to do these and as long as they are done, the day is theirs.
These are what I like to be done everyday before “Fun Free ime” begins:
Our Daily Must Do List
- Make Bed
- Clean Room (dirty clothes and toys put away)
- Get dressed
- Eat breakfast
- Pick up/Vacuum 1 downstairs room
- Play with the dog/feed the dog
- Read for 15 minutes (at least)
- 15 minutes learning activities
FREE Learning Activities
Included in our list of Must Dos are, of course, some daily chores but I also do not want them to forget what they have learned over the school year, so I have included 15 minutes of reading and 15 minutes of learning activities. Our current favorite for our learning activities is the Carson-Dellosa Summer Learning Activities website.
The Summer Learning Computer Games are fun and educational, making them a go-to for fun learning during the summer and it is the only time they get technology time before all their Must Do List is done. They love that excuse! They also really like that when they finish their game, they can print out a certificate they can color later after their other morning work is done. Win, win!
The Carson-Dellosa Summer Learning Activities not only has online games geared for each grade level, but they also have sample books, printable worksheets and activities (over 900!!!) you can use all summer long. And when I say activites, I am talking about some really fun crafts and activities that I am passing off as our afternoon Boredom Busters (i.e homemade bubbles, kites, science observations via a bug hunt, etc). For this reason, I love their calendar feature because it’s like a stress free Summer Camp schedule ready for us to use.
Based on a survey conducted by Carson-Dellosa, 84% of teachers say students forget or “lose” some skills, knowledge or grade-leve equivalency during the summer and that is why the Carson-Dellosa Summer Learning Activities were developed. I am glad I found this resource to help my kiddos keep their skills sharp and avoid the “summer slide.”
Make sure you sign up here to get your kiddos started on some FREE fun (and educational) learning this summer.
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