School is finally out for summer, so bring on the backyard water balloon fights, pool time, and ice cream! I am completely ready to embrace this summer since it is our last before my oldest goes to kindergarten next fall. I feel like it is the last summer before everything shifts for our family and we take on the new adventure of full-time elementary school.
But, I still have this nagging to-do list in the back of my mind, made up of things I need to make sure my oldest is ready for before summer is quickly over and the school bells start ringing. I know I will probably look back at this post in a few years and laugh at myself for being worried about the little things — for example, can he tie his shoe or can he stand on one leg and hop? — but that kindergarten readiness list has me stressed.
We all want our kids to do well, be prepared, and go into a new grade as confidently as possible. I want that, but also want us to not stress about it all summer.
It is a balance I am struggling with as we shift into our summer routine. I want us to have fun, but I also need to make sure that all of the learning we have done over the last year at pre-k and at home isn’t lost.
So what do I do?
Do I just enjoy the break and hope for the best? Do I force them to do worksheets and learn something every day like at school? Neither…I find the balance. Kids learn the most when they are having fun.
Once I took this balanced approach, I realized that it is not as hard as I thought to incorporate readiness skills in the routine that we are already doing. Who said you can’t have a water balloon fight while also counting balloons, sorting them by color, and getting kids to add and subtract them into their baskets until they’re even? They don’t even realize they are learning while getting the backyard ready for the ultimate battle. #momwin
So the answer to my own question is that we do both.
As adults, we sometimes forget that learning can be fun. As parents, we get so worked up over test scores, checklists, and benchmarks that we forget that lessons can be taught while doing the simple fun things we can enjoy doing together.
