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Just like their bodies, kids’ brains need exercise to stay in tip-top shape. It’s no surprise that during the long, lazy days of summer, many students lose the equivalent of one to two months of reading and math skills.

Because the best learning often occurs when children don’t realize they are learning, fun and creative activities like painting, visiting the zoo or creating a beach towel “journal” are ideal for keeping summer brains in peak condition.

Below are several kid-friendly activities designed to give students the ultimate summer brain workout.

Grades K-3

• Take a walk on the natural side. Plan a nature walk to a nearby neighborhood, park or zoo. As you and your child walk, stop to record observations with a drawing or a brief description. Gather any items you may want to save or examine more closely when you get home. Later, take the time to search the Internet or read wildlife books to learn more about the plants, rocks and animals you discovered on your walk.
• Write on. Keep track of your child’s adventures this summer by creating a beach towel or T-shirt “journal.” All you need is a white beach towel or T-shirt and fabric markers. Have your child include his or her favorite events of the summer on the towel or T-shirt, such as family parties or the scores of baseball games. In September, your child can bring the unusual “journal” to show-and-tell so teachers and friends can reminisce about summer fun.

Grades 4-6

• Become a pen pal. Have your child write letters to a friend who has recently moved or a relative who lives out of town. The student could write about his or her summer experiences, stories about friends or pets or the latest family adventure. Consider visiting an art supply store and buying multicolor paper, stickers, stamps or glitter, and design your own stationery.
• Create a cookbook. Look through cookbooks and ask family members and friends to send their favorite recipes. File recipe cards by category and number each one so they can easily be kept in order. Try a new recipe each week and work together to read the directions and measure the ingredients. Take a picture of your child enjoying the finished product. At the end of the summer, have your child design a cover for the cookbook. Gather all of the recipes into a binder and make printed copies for family and friends.

Grade 7-9

• If you are planning a vacation, ask your child to use the Internet to learn more about your vacation destination. If you will be traveling out of state, research the state flower or bird and interesting tourist attractions. Gather bus and subway route maps and schedules to places you would like to visit, such as a museum or the zoo. As you travel, your child can keep a journal filled with notes about his or her favorite places.
• Become a reporter. Keep track of local and national news by creating a family newspaper. Develop a list of article types, such as sports, comics, a movie guide, etc. If the student is writing about a sporting event, use the Internet to learn more about a favorite player or team. Set up a question box in your home and ask friends or family to write questions your child can answer in an advice column. At the end of the summer, organize all of the articles in a binder. It will be fun to look back on in years to come.
• Track the weather. Make a large calendar or graph to chart the high and low temperatures each day for a month. At the end of the month, the student can calculate the average temperature and record the highest and lowest temperatures. Consult an almanac at the library to find out whether the temperatures measured were above or below the average in your area, or if you broke any weather records.

All Ages

Read, read, read. Have younger children challenge their friends to a summer read-a-thon. Keep track of hours spent reading and the number of books read. Then, hold a summer-end pizza party to celebrate the winner. Older students can create a local book club by planning weekly meetings to discuss books and serving snacks that relate to the story. To encourage students of all ages to pick up a book, Sylvan has compiled a grade-by-grade list of great “summer reads.” For additional fun books, visit Sylvan’s www.bookadventure.com.

For free learning guides and a variety of complimentary activity booklets and writing journals, visit http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/learning-activities or call 1-800-31-SUCCESS.

Sylvan Learning Center Summer Reading List

Kindergarten:

Whose Mouse Are You?, by Robert Krause
Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown

Grade 1:

Anansi the Spider, by Gerald McDermott
Cork and Fuzz, by Dori Chaconas

Grade 2:

The Principal’s New Clothes, by Stephanie Calmenson
Henry and Mudge, by Sucie Stevenson and Cynthia Rylant

Grade 3:

10-Step Guide to Living With Your Monster, by Laura Numeroff
Aladdin: The Magical Tale of a Boy and His Wonderful Lamp, by Rosalind Kerven

Grade 4:

Charlotte’s Web, by E.B. White
If You Lived 100 Years Ago, by Ann McGovern

Grade 5:

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Ronald Dahl
Harriet the Spy, by Louise Fitzhugh

Hoot, by Carl Hiaasen
The Black Stallion, by Walter Farley and Keith Ward

Grade 7:

The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

Grade 8:

Briar Rose, by Jane Yolen
The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, or, On the Segregation of the Queen, by Laurie R. King
My Antonia, by Willa Cather

Grade 10:

Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne
"Series of Unfortunate Events" series, by Lemony Snicket

Grade 11:

Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens
Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo

Grade 12:

Gulliver’s Travels, by Jonathan Swift and Pat Rogers
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte

Richard Bavaria, Ph.D., is the senior vice president for education outreach for Sylvan Learning, the leading provider of in-center and live, online tutoring at home to students of all ages and skill levels. He has been an educator for more than 40 years. Dr. Bavaria began his professional career with Baltimore County, Maryland, Public Schools as a high school English teacher. Before joining Sylvan, he was executive director for the school system’s department of curriculum and instruction, where he oversaw the development of all instructional programs for the 25th-largest public school system in the United States.

For more information concerning how Sylvan Learning’s personalized methods have inspired more than 2 million students to discover the joy of learning, call 1-800-31-SUCCESS or visit http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com.

What ideas do you have to keep your child’s brain active this summer? Let us know below.

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