Grow Like Weeds: 7 Ways to Foster Growth This Summer
by Anita S. Lane

In late August many of us will assess our children’s wardrobes—we’ll have them try on a pair of pants or two, and perhaps even some shoes—only to discover they’ve grown an inch.   In most households there will be that familiar chorus of “Man, you kids grow like weeds!”

Yes, inevitably our children will grow physically—but summer also poses a great opportunity to help our children grow in many other ways as well.  In our home, we look forward to summer as an opportunity to expand our horizons and nurture our passions.   We set goals to make sure that while we’re having lots of fun in the sun, we’re still taking time to enhance ourselves and move closer toward our life goals.

Just like time in general, it’s very easy to let summer slip by us without realizing it.  So, make a point to incorporate opportunities for your children and you to grow this summer.  Ask them to tell you something they’d really like to accomplish this summer.  Ask yourself what one thing you’d like to accomplish and then chart a course for you and your kids to reach those goals.

Some ideas for a summer of growth:

1. Ask your child to prioritize a list of three things he or she really wants to do/accomplish during the summer (science camp, drama camp, music lessons, book club, chess club, sports leagues, foreign language, swim lessons, etc.)
2. Develop a summer reading list for you and your child.  The list should incorporate books of their choice, along with books you’ve chosen to enrich your child’s grasp of history, and broaden his or her horizons.  Your books should accomplish the same objectives as well.  Read a great novel.  Re-familiarize yourself with classic literature and the biographies of key world figures.
3. Develop a book report form for your children to complete after each book and store in a “book report” folder.  This is a wonderful way to catalog each book he or she has read and to recall what the book was about and what he or she gleaned.
4. Plan a couple of “history days” or “travel weekends” where you combine travel and history.  Every city, state and region has lots of historical sites and events, and you never have to travel far to learn a lot.
5. Make TV time educational.  Pop some popcorn and enjoy an historical documentary together. Or pop in a travel DVD and go for a trip half way around the world.  Ask questions and even have your older children write a page about what they learned—and incorporate online research as well.
6. Play board games and strategy games together, i.e., monopoly, scrabble, chess, checkers, connect four, etc.  This accomplishes numerous goals in that it fosters family fun, family togetherness and strategy!
7. Lastly, although your child would love sit at the computer and roam the internet endlessly, direct his or her computer time by requiring that some of the time spent on the computer be designated to educational “games” that you’ve purchased, as well as online educational games that help children keep their academic skills fresh.
   

Inevitably, summer means our children have a lot more time on their hands.  However, their time does not have to be idle, and nor does it all have to be “free.”  We can relax, have fun, play, keep active and nourish our brains at the same time.

If you take a few moments with your child to reflect on what you want for him or her and for you this summer—and then work towards it—at the end of the summer, you’ll find that your kid’s shoe size isn’t the only thing that’s grown.

Copyright ©2008 by Anita S. Lane