Hello! My name is Nora McCarthy-Joyce and I am the new Executive Director of Family Service PEI. I am eager to use my skills in the advancement of providing Island families with services to enhance their daily lives. I have over 15 years experience working for families in schools, community organizations, universities and government advisory groups and have a passion for helping others become their “best selves”. I believe that no investment is more important than investing in families!
As Spring turns into Summer here in Prince Edward Island, our children will be eager to finish up the school year and transition into their summer vacation. This transition is not always an easy one for kids. As they move away from the routines of school and are thrown into the freedom that summer vacation offers, many kids find it challenging and may become under-stimulated and complain that they are bored.
There are many things that could help to make the transition easier for kids. Here are some ideas that could help children adjust from their school schedule (and provide fun activities for the family too)!
Create a Summer Calendar
Children get excited about sitting down with parents or guardians and creating a fun list of things to do! Let your children brainstorm all sorts of activities they would like to do in order to have the best summer possible. Create a list of all the ideas your family comes up with. Now you can start penciling activities into your calendar and planning out a summer to remember. This gives children something to look forward to while creating family memories to last a lifetime.
Organize Educational Activities
It is important that children have learning opportunities throughout the summer to prevent summer learning loss. There are lots of ways to maintain skills throughout the summer. For example, teachers often offer reading materials or other practice activities for students to complete over the summer break. It is your job as parent to make sure your student completes the assigned task. You can make it fun by creating rewards together for each completed assignment. If no work was assigned from their teacher, you can make a fun and educational trip to your local library. They often offer free reading and craft programs that children can attend, in addition to taking home books, videos, and other great literacy materials!
Stay In Touch With Friends
Staying social with friends is very important to children over the summer. Help your children stay in touch by planning for fun with other parents or events. Summer barbeques, a trip to a local park, or taking part in a community celebration is a great way to do this – it can even be added to your calendar of fun! Strengthening friendships over the summer will help ease kids back into the upcoming school year with confidence!
I hope you will find these tips useful as our weather gets warmer and the school year comes to a close. Wishing you a all a wonderful summer this year filled with many memories and lots of fun!
Nora