Infuse Summer Days with Joy and Connection

Hey Reader!

Are parents asking you what they can do to ensure their children are “ready” for school after a summer break? Here are just a few ideas that will promote life skills and strong social skills that will ensure success when children come back to school this fall! Wanna share this with the parents in your school? Send them THIS link! (Don’t worry, we won’t add them to any mailing list!)

1. Read WITH young children as often as you can. The time that young children spend in their parent’s lap or snuggled up next to them as they read an engaging story is paramount for building strong bonds between parents and children as well as fostering a love of reading in young children. Read in silly voices and with dramatic flair. Read their favorite books over and over and over (repetition actually helps young children develop language skills).
2. Go outside and play! Have you heard the term “sittervising” (as opposed to supervising)? Basically, allow young children the freedom to play whatever they want with minimal adult supervision – be physically present out there and be aware of danger, but don’t direct their activities and games. Take the time to sit in a lawn chair with an ice cold Sonic limeade and read a novel from the library! This freedom to explore in the outdoors helps young children learn to use their imagination, to make decisions, to take risks, to solve problems – all essential life skills!
3. Encourage/Practice Independence – We did a much more in-depth newsletter on this topic last week. HERE is the link if you’d like to review. Take those extra few minutes and allow children to dress themselves. Teach them how to open a gold-fish bag. Coach them along the way as they learn to spread peanut butter or cut up bananas or watermelon pieces with a plastic knife.
4. Take a daily rest/nap/quiet time. Even children who have outgrown a nap benefit from quiet, restful activities during the day to regroup, to rest their bodies and brains and to learn to be still. This is definitely a “learned activity” for most young children. Begin with a short timer – 5 minutes of laying down in your bed without toys, without screens. I typically allow books and a “lovey” for my sons when they were very young. Increase the timer slowly to 30-45 minutes of quiet time. Encourage parents to participate in “quiet time” as well. It can be tempting to get some things checked off the to-do list while the children are quiet, but if you can force yourself to just sit or lay down and be quiet for a few minutes (no screens!), you’ll have much more patience for the “witching hour” know as dinner-time! HA!
5. Be silly together! Sing a silly song together at the top of your lungs! Practice funny dance moves to their favorite songs. Check out a preschool joke-book at the library and practice telling jokes to each other. Laughing and playing together with young children will help you BOTH enjoy this summer so much more.
6. Play with friends. Invite a few young friends over to your house for a playdate or plan a meet-up at a local park where your children can play while you “sittervise” with other parents as well! Work hard to leave the playdate as open-ended as possible rather than planning crafts or games for the children to do. Practicing social skills on a regular basis will pay huge dividends when these children go back to school in the fall!

What are your ideas for making the summer fun and also promoting, age-appropriate activities at home this summer? Reply to this email and let us know!

Cheering you on this week!

-Your ECCN team

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Colossians 3:16

“Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.”