During the school year, my son is very busy with homework, sports, and after-school activities. Should he be participating in a summer program or should he take a break to relax and just hang out?
You don’t have to choose between a rigorous academic program or hanging out. A good summer program can prevent the “Summer Slide” in learning and still be fun and relaxing. The National Institute of Health has studied and reported the virtue of effective summertime programs, including academic, social, emotional, and physical benefits.
The Village continues our programs year-round, not only to support working parents but also to help their children:
- Summer programs make it easier for children who struggle with transitions. Many children get emotional at drop off and pickup, switching from one classroom activity to another, and/or going to and from the playground. For these children, the transitions from leaving school all summer and returning in the fall would be very difficult.
- For school-age children, the right summer program can reinforce their learning from the past school year and help them do some catching up if they need a little. It can also prepare them to learn what they can look forward to in the coming school year.
- Summer programs provide an opportunity for children to discover new interests. They can engage in art, music, nature, cooking, science, or some other subject that isn’t part of the public school curriculum but becomes a lifelong passion.
- As part of a summer program engaged in new activities, children build self-confidence. When they try new things and succeed and hear praise from teaching staff and other children, they learn to keep trying.
- Summer programs are not boring. Video games, sleeping in, playing with the dog in the yard, and pestering parents/grandparents sounds like fun for a day or a week, but we’ve all heard a child say, “I’m bored,” even when they seem to be surrounded by things to do at home.
Taking advantage of a summer program doesn’t mean a child can’t go on a family trip or spend some time with some relatives. Summer programs should enhance family time, not replace it. At The Village, we educate children using the “Learn through Play Model” and our summer programs emphasize a little more – outdoors, learning about bugs and plants, even getting wet sometimes.
