Avoiding Summer Brain Drain

We know your kids are advanced, but even the brightest minds can get a bit stale when not properly stimulated. Avoid summer brain drain this year with the kind of fun that makes kids smart—but not smart enough to know it's good for them.

Summer helpers come in all forms. Take, for example, a monthly delivery from Kiwi Crate. Now available in Canada, the Summer Discovery box can inject some unexpected fun into the days you need it most. Kiwi Crate's summer offer provides three months of discovery and scientific surprises brought right to your door for kids aged 3 to 7 years.

Reading lists, summer reading programs at the library, bookstore visits—finding ways to bring literacy into their world is easy. Once engaged in a great book, kids get hooked. Regularly rotating selections from your local library, bookstore or app store can help keep them turning the pages all summer long.

Keep your postman employed while encouraging the written word. Receiving something in the (actual) mail is still a thrill, even if their pen pal just lives down the road. Give them a new set of stationary tools—fun paper and pens/markers/crayons—to get them started, and watch how willing they'll be to strike up a written friendship with those near or far.

Cultivating their appreciation of creativity is easier than we think. For kids who are passionate about pictures, a photo-journal is a worthy pursuit, providing hours of time spent capturing the essence of their summer.

Preschoolers don't need a ton of expensive technology to prep them for learning their ABCs. A simple container of Eco-Dough will come in handy in helping them to shape letters, numbers, words, colours and much more.

Since kids can't seem to stop snacking, fire up their brain cylinders when they are famished and come looking for food in the kitchen. As they measure, read ingredients and apply practical division, they'll be learning without even realizing it.

Some important lessons go beyond language and math. Learning to work as a team (especially among siblings) is key for future success, experts say. Sure, tasking kids to work together might seem like a recipe for an afternoon of arguing, but give them the opportunity and you might be surprised at what nets out.

Remember all the classical CDs you listened to while they were in utero? Time to see how much they absorbed by way of their musical ability. We're kidding, but since music benefits their minds in so many ways, introduce the kids to one/some instruments for a fundamentally sound (literally) way for them to spend some spare time over the summer.

On your next Costco or bookstore run, consider picking up workbooks that are full of grade-appropriate challenges. Great for road trips or rainy days, they offer language, math and science-related challenges—as well as an excellent alternative to having to answer the age-old question, ‘Are we there yet?'

If road trips/in-city excursions are part of your summer plans, delegate the actual planning to the kids (at least in part). Older children can help map the route and/or the public transport costs and research the hours and costs of venues they'd like to visit, while younger kids can help pack and make lists of what you'll need to bring.

Encourage them to explore the world this summer—without ever leaving home. Daily news/information sites intended for kids approach current events in an appropriate and stimulating way, helping them question and be interested in the world around them.

Let's face it: into every life a little rain must fall. While we generally like to keep the kids away from screens in the summer, there are times when a more thought-provoking way of passing the time than playing Skylanders Giants comes in handy.