With just a few weeks left before school resumes in September, discover practical ways to keep your child mentally and physically engaged through reading, excursions, workplace visits, and our summer learning programme.
With just a few weeks left before school resumes in September, you may feel that it is already too late to plan meaningful activities for your child. It isn’t.
There are still two to three valuable weeks to help your child learn, explore, build confidence and develop useful skills before returning to school.
Summer should not be only about sleeping late, watching television and playing games. Children need opportunities to remain mentally and physically engaged, and these final weeks can still make a difference.
1. Encourage Reading: Especially for younger children, this is a great time to develop a reading culture. Encourage your child to read storybooks, novels and age-appropriate materials every day. For children who are just beginning to read independently, these weeks can be an excellent opportunity to strengthen their reading skills. Reading builds vocabulary, comprehension, imagination and confidence—and it is a habit that benefits children far beyond the classroom.
2. Plan a Mini Excursion: An excursion does not have to be an expensive trip or a long journey. Take your child somewhere they can learn something new outside the classroom and beyond their usual home environment. It could be a museum, zoo, farm, garden, art centre or even a place of work. The goal is simple: let them see, experience and learn something different. A visit to a farm, for example, can teach children about agriculture, animals, food production and the environment in a way that a textbook cannot.
3. Let Them Experience Your Work: Take your child to your office, shop, business or workplace when appropriate. Allow them to observe what you do, ask questions and understand how a workplace operates. You can even give them simple, age-appropriate responsibilities for a day or two. This helps children appreciate the value of work, responsibility, discipline and entrepreneurship from an early age.
4. Teach Them a Practical Skill: Summer is a wonderful time for children to learn skills that may not be taught extensively in the classroom. Swimming, cooking, dancing, painting, crafts, computer skills and other hands-on activities can help children discover new interests and talents.
5. Consider a Summer Learning Programme: If you would prefer a structured environment, consider enrolling your child in a good summer programme for the remaining weeks. At Silverdale Schools Lagos, our summer programme focuses on practical and engaging learning, including computer skills, cookery, dance, fine arts and other hands-on activities, at a subsidised fee. The goal is not simply to keep children busy. It is to keep them learning, creating and developing.
Keep Them Engaged: The saying, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” reminds us of the importance of purposeful engagement. Children who grow up learning, exploring, creating and taking responsibility are more likely to develop confidence, independence, discipline and useful life skills.
So, do not think the summer is already over. There are still weeks to go. Make them count. Give your child something meaningful to learn, something new to experience and something useful to take away from this summer. Because education does not stop when the school bell rings.