The start of summer is a good time to ask yourself, “How can I use this summer season to spend time with my children, enjoy being together, and perhaps teach them something without using a workbook or electronic device?” For example, when our children were young, I wanted to get them out of bed and away from electronics. So, off to swim team practice we went early in the morning. I did not care if they were the best swimmers. The goal was to learn to swim well, particularly given the time our family spent at lakes and beaches. It was a matter of safety. Then there were other fun projects like cooking an exotic African dinner of fish, cassava, and fried plantains.

For those of you looking for more ideas, consider these for enjoyment and learning with your children:

Indoor Garden

Plant an indoor garden of microgreens. Microgreens germinate quickly, can be added to a salad, and are inexpensive. My favorites are broccoli, kale, and clover. Plus, you can plant them in plastic take-out containers with lids. They can also teach the responsibility of watering and tending to plants, which is a nice life skill.

Sing

Teach your children the song for the months of the year, rhymes, poems, Bible verses, and for the older ones, the list of pronouns. If the kids can sing marketing jingles, they can certainly learn these gems.

Preschool Skills

Teach your preschooler fun hands-on activities with “Teaching Montessori in the Home: The Preschool Years,” by Hainstock. This book gives parents fun ideas to help their children develop prewriting skills, such as threading Cheerios on a wooden skewer and lacing objects with an oversized hole. I also liked using dried rice instead of water to teach pouring, another idea I got from this book.

Nature Walks

Go on nature walks. Gather different leaves and learn their species. Then place a piece of paper over the leaf and gently color over the area with a crayon. You will see the ridges and shape of the leaf emerge from the paper. Also, pick small flowers and gently press them in a book until they are dried. Then arrange them in a small picture frame. They create a beautiful and memorable picture.

Reading

Help your child learn to read using the phonics-based book “Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons,” by Engelmann, Haddox, and Bruner. I used this book with all three of our children, and we spent just 15-20 minutes per day on the scripted lessons. We were completely amazed at how they picked up reading before starting Kindergarten. I did not do the writing portion.

History Made Fun

Create a historical timeline with a long roll of paper. We made a timeline that included the world’s great empires, dynasties, discoveries, and inventions. We did this project with an entertaining history series that was perfect for school-age children, “The Story of the World: History for the Classical Child,” by Susan Wise Bauer. It was great listening, especially on trips.

Above all, enjoy them. They grow up fast!

Kelly Himes Brolly, Parent, Attorney, and Author of “Laws, Rules, and Rights: A Guide to Protecting Children in Public Schools,” Double Umbrella Publications, LLC (2023), go here. To learn more about parental rights and public schools in all 50 states, go here or to www.doubleumbrellapublications.com.