Summer Bootcamp for Brains

By Rebecca Salter of Kip McGrath, Cardiff West

All parents know that the summer break can be a long six weeks when there are cries of ‘I’m bored!’. But did you know that it takes up to six weeks of the new school year to re-learn what has been lost over the summer?

This ‘Summer Learning Loss’ can really affect your child’s progress, so here are some ideas on how to stop the boredom and keep their young brains active in fun, flexible and affordable ways:

1. Design and make a beautiful scrapbook based on your summer adventures.
2. Extreme Reading! Join with another family or group of friends and have a competition to see who can take a photo of themselves reading in the most extreme, funny or strange location. Just make sure that you stay safe!
3. Write a fun book of mini-sagas (stories of 50 or 100 words). Easy and quick to produce, each saga can be illustrated and made into a special book at the end of the holiday.
4. Design your own, new superhero comic book. Don’t forget the arch-enemy, costumes and a sidekick!
5. Choose a period of history as a holiday theme. Research and visit important places, read guide books, write stories set in this time and make special food from the era too!
6. Visit the National Museum or St Fagan’s and let the children become the quiz masters, carrying around a notepad and writing quiz questions for the adults to answer afterwards.
7. Make an anime diary of your holiday with lots of great artwork.
8. Write and put on a play. Be adventurous and think about designing and even painting the set. You could set a small budget and go charity shopping for costumes and props.
9. Make a magazine based on a topic of interest. This could include expert articles, interviews and adverts.
10. Take an old-fashioned camera (not on a phone) and learn how to take photographs. Use them in a photo diary.

If your child really enjoys their summer activities, they can learn so many new skills and keep up to date with literacy, maths and more, without even realising it. And you’ll be surprised how much fun the adults could have too.

A: Unit 3, Hollybush Estate, Coryton
Cardiff CF14 7DS
T: 02920 628568
W: kipmcgrath.co.uk/cardiff-west