Bowling, gardening, riding bikes, playing tennis, going horseback riding. Those are just a few things on Suzanne Casey’s list of activities kids can do during the summer. Casey has been a teacher for 15 years and has seen the difference it makes in the life of a child when the summer months include some structure.
“Having no plan and no responsibilities,” said Casey, who teaches third, fourth and fifth grade at St. John’s Episcopal School, “it’s like the free time blob.”
Children make decisions with happiness in mind, she said, which makes overindulgence easy. Parents should be making decisions about summer activities with the best interest of the child in mind, though, making time for both learning and relaxing.
No parent wants their child to fall behind in education during the summer months, so Casey suggested parents encourage their children to read during the summer.
Reading can keep their minds sharp during the break, Casey said, and she recommended finding a series that can keep a student busy all summer.
“A series is not always the best literature,” she said, “but they’re expanding their vocabulary and they’re doing something constructive.”
To make reading seem like more fun, Casey suggested finding a book that has been made into the movie and watching the film version as a reward after the book has been read.
“They’ll only look at it (reading) as a chore if the parents hate it and don’t do it and make them read something they don’t want to read,” she said.
Besides reading, parents should make sure their children make time for chores and take advantage of opportunities to help others.
Patty Rae Wellborn, an educator for 15 years and the current art teacher at St. John’s, said finding creative outlets for children during the summer is imperative, as well.
“It keeps them busy, keeps them from being bored — and they love art,” she said. “Whether they’re artistically inclined or not, kids love art.”
Students in public elementary schools don’t have a lot of opportunities to practice their art skills, Wellborn said, so the summer can be a great time to encourage creativity. Art classes and camps are available this summer at many Abilene locations, including the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature, The Grace Museum and the Abilene Public Libraries.
Although teachers seem to agree structure is important during the summer months, Casey believes children, just like adults, should have some free time to do anything they like.
“Kids should have scheduled time every week or every day to just do whatever they want,” she said. “Still, if they don’t have structure, they won’t enjoy or benefit from summer.”
— Hannah Boen
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