Although the primary focus of your Pre-K child’s vacation time should be for them to have as much fun as possible, there is nothing wrong with incorporating a little learning in here and there. Here are a few handy ideas for activities and tasks that will help ensure that your child is able to learn while still having as much fun as possible during vacation times.
Get Them Involved in Arts and Crafts
This is one of the best ways to keep your child occupied when the first rounds of, “I’m bored,” hit. Most craft activities can be fully customized according to various upcoming holidays, meaning that at present, you could involve your child in making cards for Valentine’s Day or even Easter.
While doing arts and crafts may not seem like much of a learning experience, cutting and pasting items on to card stock, creating lettering or attaching embellishments can help them develop their fine motor skills, which are crucial when it comes to learning how to write.
Visit a Factory
These days, there are numerous factories that allow and even encourage children to visit. This allows them to see the various steps and processes that are involved in manufacturing different items. To ensure that the trip is able to hold your child’s interest, try to find a factory or manufacturing plant that produces child-related products such as food, candy or even toys.
Let them Help with Age-Appropriate DIY Projects
Does your back fence need a coat of paint or varnish? Are you going to be planting new seedlings or flowers soon? If so, you can allow your Pre-K child to get involved by helping with some aspects. This will not only help them develop better hand-eye coordination; it can teach them a degree of responsibility as well.
If you would like to teach your Pre-K child about helping others, another great option would be to find out if you would be allowed to have them volunteer at a local community organization – under your close supervision, of course.
Visit Museums
Gone are the days where museums were loaded to the hilt with stuffy displays and, “Do Not Touch” signs. These days, there are several child-friendly museums that host a wide range of fully interactive displays and activities.
If possible, try to visit exhibits that for periods of history and other topics that your child has learned about in school recently. Although many museums charge admission fees, you may be able to save on this by inquiring whether there are any admission-free days coming up during the vacation period.
As you can see, keeping your Pre-K child learning during vacation times need not involve having them sitting at a desk for formal instruction. Even the simplest of activities such as baking cookies can be turned into a learning experience – math can be incorporated when measuring out ingredient quantities while checking the ingredient list can help enhance reading skills for instance.