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Parents can help make summer learning fun

For most adults, the biggest changes summer brings are the triple-digit temperatures that continue after sunset and a warm air conditioner

For most adults, the biggest changes summer brings are the triple-digit temperatures that continue after sunset and a warm air conditioner that serves as an untimely reminder that it should’ve been serviced in April.

For children, however, summer signals an extended time free of teachers and structured activities carefully created to keep brain cells stimulated.

In many families, the most popular daytime chaperones lack the proper titles Mr. or Ms., and are known simply by initials: MTV, HBO, PSP, etc.

But young brainwaves do not have to rely solely on what the remote or game controls have to offer. There are several ways parents can help young minds stay active without too much schedule juggling.

The easiest device is opening a book, according to Julie Henning, director of education at the Phoenix Sylvan Learning Center. In addition to keeping reading comprehension and verbal skills intact, the act of reading aloud is beneficial, especially if sharpening Spanish skills is part of the plan.

"It can be helpful if children can read to their parents or grandparents, and vice versa. After three or four generations, virtually all Spanish is lost, so that would be one way to retain the language," she says.

Besides books, children can be entertained by programs on Spanish channels like Discovery Kids en Español, or by watching their favorite DVD with the Spanish language or subtitles setting on. Libraries and many large bookstores also carry popular children’s books from Barney to Barbie en Español as well.

There also are ways to make the most out of the games or equipment your children are already familiar with, according to Debra Gomez, assistant superintendent for the Tempe Elementary School District.

Gomez says card games are good because they give youngsters the opportunity to work on math skills. She also likes the board game Scrabble. "It improves their vocabulary and spelling, while keeping them entertained for hours," she says.

Time spent on the computer can also be a benefit. Gomez recommends that if a child’s interest in a certain topic is piqued by seeing it on TV or at the movies, a parent can encourage him or her to use the computer to further research that subject, if it is appropriate.

She also advocates outings to parks or gardens, where children can be exposed to nature, as a way to keep mind and body active.

IDEAS TO TRY

• Check out Web sites like SpanishToys.com for Spanish-language books, games and software; large bookstores like Barnes and Noble and Borders offer Spanish-language materials as well.

• Cut out coupons in the Sunday newspaper and go grocery shopping; ask your child to tabulate prices and discounts to determine what the final cost would be.

• See what the local parks and recreation department has to offer in athletic and enrichment courses.

• Visit the Arizona Science Center or a local art museum.

• Make sure there are enough books and learning games so they are not left with just video games

• Aim for an hour of reading a day, whether it’s a parent reading to the child, vice versa, or the child reading silently. Sylvan Learning Center’s Julie Henning suggests 10 minutes of reading per each year of your child’s age. For example, for an 8-year-old, this would mean 80 minutes a day.

• Use vacation time as an opportunity to count shells on the beach in San Diego, read the billboards on the way to Disneyland or figure out the gas mileage between rest stops from the Valley to the Grand Canyon.