Fun Skills Kids Can Learn in Summer

Summer is an ideal time for children to learn new and vibrant skills that they have less time to cultivate or acquire during the school year - or that are not as viable due to lack of daylight hours, rain or busier school schedules. conciliation for families. Between eternal, blue days at the beach , fantastic excursions to unknown places, pool days, afternoons in the park or summer camps , there must also be a space for learning, that spark that puts the brains to work, that activates concentration and that brings the mind to the present moment. Learning a new skill is not only exciting, fun and great - for both kids and adults - but it has numerous benefits both physically and mentally. When someone learns new things, it calms the fight or flight reaction, thus reducing the risk of anxiety. When exercising an unknown skill, dopamine is also released, increasing well-being ; New neuronal patterns are forged and brain plasticity increases. The new skills help regenerate brain cells at any age, prevent depression and increase blood flow to the brain. They are all advantages! Some of these new skills involve movement, balance, motor coordination, concentration or neuromuscular training , so they are fantastic for taking care of the body, preventing future diseases and avoiding problems such as childhood obesity or diabetes. Others involve an improvement in language and its mastery, extensive sensory experimentation or contact with nature, promoting children's sensitivity and empathy towards the rest of the living beings on the planet . Finally, learning something new facilitates a state of cerebral flow - or sensation of flow -, a term identified by the Hungarian-American psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in 1988 and which a BBC report defines as a phase between action and consciousness in which creativity appears and we have greater performance.

11 skills kids can learn in summer

• Cooking : Summer is one of the ideal times for your children to begin to acquire basic culinary skills , learning to act as helpers, cutting food (always with a blunt knife when they are small), beating and mixing ingredients or experimenting with flavors. Try baking, picnic recipes or a good pizza dough, and use websites like the fabulous Pequerecetas .
• Growing your own food: Taking advantage of the garden to have a garden, applying for a place in an urban garden in your city or even planting fruits and vegetables on your roof, your windows or inside your house is a great activity to do with children. Even if you don't have much space, videos like this teach you how to make a garden for children, step by step.
• Understanding a map: Going on a hike to the mountains or taking a walk through your city and teaching them how to interpret a paper map will love it. An extra idea is to explain the cardinal points and let them know how to use a compass.
• Skating: The golden days, the cool sunsets and the sun are ideal for the little ones to get on wheels and learn to skate, an unforgettable sensation and a sport that allows them to take care of their heart, strengthen their bones or improve their motor coordination. , their balance and muscle tone o Don't forget to put on a helmet, let's get on with the adventure!
• Survival skills: Learn to tie knots, build a fort, make a water filter in the field, make a fire, or buy your field notebook to draw insects, birds, a reference point, or anything else you have learned. will love it.
• Photography: Summer is a great time to cultivate a passion for family photography , whether with an analog, digital or instant camera. Start by teaching them some basic tips and propose activities such as creating an album, a family tree with their close relatives, or an outdoor photo shoot. In this guide you will find a complete handful of ideas.

• Write your diary: If you have not yet written your diary, the summer season is perfect to have a little time a day for this activity. It helps them be more curious, observant and creative; to better immortalize your childhood moments; to work on self-perception or to better express their feelings. Respect their privacy: don't read it, and buy them a nice diary with its key and lock. You can even decorate it with your own drawings and stickers.
• Stargazing: Clear summer nights - especially far from urban centers - and events like the Perseids are perfect times to get your children interested in astronomy and contemplating constellations, shooting stars, phases of the moon and other celestial phenomena. Check out this list of the best astronomy books for children and build this model of the solar system with them.
• Snorkeling, swimming and diving: The youngest and least experienced children can learn with swimming classes , perfect their swimming styles and the most intrepid, dare to take their first steps in snorkeling and diving, as well as other water sports such as surfing, wake or water skiing.
• Yoga: Yoga allows children to develop their flexibility, strength, balance and resistance, relax their muscles, free themselves from anxieties, obsessions and fears and sleep better. You can practice it outdoors with them, in places as magical and special as the forest, the park or the beach. Start with basic postures such as cat-cow, cobra, upside-down dog or fish.
• Basic financial education: Depending on their age, this summer children can learn to do simple addition and subtraction, to run small errands such as buying bread, to start a savings plan with a piggy bank or to learn terms such as a financial budget. You can teach them how to divide their money, set goals, or the different options they have to save.

In short, summer is an ideal time to learn, to enjoy and to discover yourself inside and out. Investigate their concerns and motivations so that they learn something new: it can also be a language, a board game, an instrument or a hobby such as collecting stamps, coins, leaves or flowers.