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Summer Resources

Math and Literacy

Below are a few low-stress and fun ways to reinforce and practice many of the math and literacy skills your child learned this year. Enjoy these games and activities while on vacation or on hot days when your child needs a break from the summer heat. Please contact Learning Support Coordinator Dana Duffy with questions.

Summer Math Resources

Summer Literacy Resources

Summer Reading Bingo Board

Summer Writing Bingo Board

Summer 2024 Reading Lists

Social and Emotional

Feeling like the tantrums just won’t stop? You aren’t alone.
Scripted responses to defiance and tantrums have become popular in recent years, but we have found a few other options that work better. Try the ancient method of “magic touch” to co-regulate when your child is grumpy or defiant. Distraction is also getting a new reputation in the behavioral world. Try creating a bin of items to distract your child when grumpy – something as simple as this flip slide game can help many children to become more calm. Once a few rounds are played, especially in team mode, children are more able to process and recover from challenging situations and behavior. It can also help with tough transitions. As always, visual schedules and routines are integral to keeping kids regulated through the summer months. 

Strive for connection, both inside and outside of the home.
The
summer slide we should be focusing on in this post-pandemic world is that of connection and community. In the midst of summer trips, camps, and events, create time for weekly playdates to make sure your children maintain and create deeper friendships before returning in the fall. Invite families over, especially the ones you haven’t really connected with, for a meal or trip to the local playground. Favor in-person moments over screen time playdates. Create rituals at home over food, games and of course reading and sharing culture. Create “no screen” zones or times in order to deepen your ability to be present with family. 

Speaking of screens….
This year, Miquon did a deep dive into addressing the relationships we all have with devices, the internet, and media consumption.
Creating thoughtful and wise digital citizens is one of the greatest challenges facing educators and families today. Electronic devices are invaluable tools to deepen connection and community. However, we know that what our children experience on screens is impacting their relationships with friends, family and most importantly themselves by having a massive impact on mental health. Exposing children to ideas and content that they are often not developmentally ready to digest and understand. In addition, what children are exposed to at home is impacting relationships, play, and experiences at school so there is an important partnership to be made between families and school on how to navigate this. Here are a few resources to think about and use over the summer as downtime increases and screen time inevitably increases: 

Learning for Justice has a wonderful breakdown of what children need support with by age group. 

Common Sense Media is a great place to check if media is developmentally appropriate for your child. Even if children enjoy something, they may not always be ready for it. If you are unsure, watch the show with your child, then speak with them about what they are seeing. 

Librarian Sarah Stippich can be an incredible resource for book recommendations. 

If you are thinking about getting your child a cellphone, careful onboarding and intentional rule-setting before the phone gets handed over. These resources are wonderful:

Sample Contract between Parents and Child for Phone Usage 

Parent, Student and School Responsibilities

Bark App for monitoring phone usage

Mental Health and Social Media Use Update

A guide to teens, smartphones and social media settings

Lastly, a note on Youtube and TikTok-type apps:
Students frequently have questions about online content regarding politics, gender and race — themes that are complicated and tender to talk about. Jokes that seem harmless in  a short video can cause real harm in a community. While these shorts can be an invaluable resources at times, please consider watching them with your children so that you can talk about what they are watching and digesting.

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