Tuesday, June 21, 2016

The Top 5 Summer Enrichment Activities


It's officially summer! While summer may be a breather from school, it's a very important time to participate in fun activities that continue to stimulate your brain, build your character, and develop your skill set in order to prepare you for the future.


Here are SpiderSmart's Top 5 Summer Enrichment Activities to give your child a fun-filled and memorable summer!




1. Community Outreach

Volunteering in your community has so many benefits! It is a great way for your child to meet new people with shared interests and make lifelong friends. It helps them develop character traits like respect, time management, responsibility, social etiquette, and many other key attributes. It also begins to highlight areas your children are passionate about potentially pursuing in the future! Some examples of community outreach are helping out at the Special Olympics, dishing up food at your local soup kitchen, and beautifying a park in the community. The opportunities for your child to serve their local area are endless!



2. Academic Summer Camp

We all know that daily physical exercise is an important part of well-being.   Mental acuity is another crucial component to your child's holistic growth and development. Academic summer camp is a fun way for your child to exercise and sharpen their mental muscles in order to increase their knowledge base. SpiderSmart's Academic Summer Camp provides your child with a cross-disciplinary approach to learning, where all subjects are explored and their creativity can be fully expressed in a fun, interactive environment. Camp this year will feature topics such as Creative Writing, the Arts, Reading Discussion Groups, and more. Our camp will help your child become a well-rounded learner who will be ready to tackle their next school year head on!



3. Cultural Experiences

Summer is the perfect time to show your child the world, but you don't need to travel to get a taste of another culture. Trying a new restaurant is a great way to have a sensory experience while getting introduced to the values and customs of another group. Attending museums, festivals, and concerts will broaden the scope of your child's cultural knowledge, and may even inspire them to learn a language or study abroad later on. Introducing new cultures at a young age can help make your child more tolerant of differences and accepting of change. It will also encourage them to seek out new experiences. What does your city have to offer that might help your child out of their comfort zone?


4. Career Shadowing

As your child continues to progress, it is crucial that they begin to focus their ambition. A primary way this focus can be achieved is to begin the career shadowing process. Ask your child what careers they are considering. If they are unsure, ask them what careers they find interesting and would like to know more about. Then, get in touch with an expert in your child's fields of interest and inquire if your child can shadow them. The first-hand experience your child will gain by studying an expert in their profession will be indispensable. In many cases, the expert being shadowed will also give your child the chance to take part in their daily work activities. These hands-on opportunities will not only allow your child to narrow down potential career options, thereby honing their focus, but also expand their abilities and general knowledge.



5. Learn a life skill

Reading, Writing, and Math are important skills that should be kept up, even over the summer. However, children also need to learn independence and self-sufficiency. The school year is so packed with homework, sports, and other lessons that there may not always be time to stop and let children explore basic life skills. Summer is the perfect opportunity to teach your teen to change a tire, coach your tweens on how to resew a button, or even show your child how to take care of the garden. Allowing time for these experiences will help your child to become more connected to the world around them, and they wont need to rely on others for assistance with basic tasks. Ask your children what skill they might want to master this summer, and set some goals together!


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