Summer is an important time for learning. Parent engagement can ensure essential summer learning for young children by capitalizing on everyday interactions. This article presents 3 considerations to boost parent engagement for better learning over the summer.
Early childhood experiences are a critical foundation for children’s future. These experiences support children’s mental, emotional, and social growth before and between classroom experiences. These learning experiences can happen every day, and occur in the daily interactions we have with children. Summer learning is an ideal and important time to lean into these daily interactions between children and caregivers and to spark learning.
If you are a parent or caregiver of young children, one of the most important aspects to remember for summer learning is that it does NOT have to cost anything, except your time. There are, however, important strategies to consider when planning for summer learning—and planning is important. As parents, grandparents, or caregivers, if we are aware of our daily interactions with young children and use them effectively and wisely, we can help them to
We can even impart some of the essential skills needed for students to begin school with a simple plan for our own parent engagement.
A favorite article of mine published in Reading Rockets, “Your Home as a Learning Experience,” focuses on the child’s immediate environment as a learning bridge. Children bridge experiences to learning and build vocabulary through hands-on activities using their five senses.
A great example of using the immediate environment as a learning bridge is the family kitchen. Meal planning, cooking, and sharing meals is an essential daily family activity that can also be an incredibly rich learning experience. When parents and caregivers invite and involve children in these activities, it results in special bonding time and a shared cultural experience. Children learn
Parent engagement need not be centered entirely around shared cooking and dining experiences. There are so many ways to build experiences, language, and connections through everyday interactions. Families can also use quality time by
When families plan these experiences and discussions, summer learning can flourish.
The most important part of any summer learning experience is awareness. To make the most of parent engagement, families should be aware of the goals and outcomes and plan experiences so that they are meaningful. Research shows us that play is important for parent-child bonds and for child development. Spending time with our children and playing with them provides them with stability, helps them with their behavior, helps them do better in school, and helps them have a better relationship with their peers and with other adults.
Playing and learning for young children go hand-in-hand. Therefore, dedicating some time during the day to engage with and spend quality time with children is important and beneficial. Even on days when play time may be minimal, parent engagement might include talking with children, and involving them in daily routines. Even activities such as folding laundry can become important learning time
Or, while walking through a grocery store, parent engagement might look like
Take a minute and think about what impacted you most growing up. It’s likely that you will call to mind a situation that demonstrates the power of parent engagement. Consider family members who provided experiences, language and vocabulary, and social and quality time. Now, through our own parent engagement, we can influence the next generation and make each child feel special and cared for by using nothing but our quality time.
Daily interactions add up to impactful summer learning with parent engagement and planning. Utilize the three considerations in this article to make the most of summer learning opportunities as a parent or caregiver of young children. These small practical yet playful moments will help children reap the research-supported benefits of parent engagement.