(This is a guest blog post by Corinne Jacob, just in time for the summer vacation.)

Photo by frankieleon is licensed under CC BY 2.0

When your kids are being homeschooled, there’s no pressure to follow a yearly schedule. This also means that there’s no scheduled summer vacation. With no ‘summer slide’ and the freedom to take vacations whenever they please, many homeschooling families favor year-long learning. However, it may sometimes feel unfair that your kids have to sit down with their books when all the other kids in the neighborhood are soaking up the sun. You can strike a balance between the two options by dedicating a portion of the summer months to playing fun games that will keep the learning going.

Here are five indoor and outdoor summer learning games for kids.

1. Nature scavenger hunt

Prepare for this game by making a list of things your kids must find during the scavenger hunt. Keep in mind the kids’ ages, their interests and the kind of flora and fauna found in your neighbourhood. You can either have all of the kids work together on a single list, or create customized lists for each child. You can create the lists around a single theme, such as ‘creepy crawlies’, ‘leaves’, ‘birds’, ‘flowers’, etc. Then gather the brood, hand them their lists and take them for a walk around the neighbourhood to find their items.

2. Sidewalk chalk reading game

Using sidewalk chalk, write five consonants one below the other on the sidewalk. Next to it, write the five vowels. Make a third column with five more consonants. You should have the letters in a 5×3 rectangle. Have your children make three letter words by hopping on one letter from the first column, one from the second column and one from the third column. See who can find the most words.  Continue reading »