Summer Reading Routine & Math Work

I'm glad you asked this because I want to do this for my kids too - but I work full-time so I'll have to rely on the sitter to do it.

I was thinking right after lunch. They have morning activities (swimming lessons, VBS, etc.) and I was thinking right after lunch is a good time to sit down and do some math and reading before taking some quiet time. It will help wind them down too.

I'm going to leave it up to my sitter though so she can get in her routine with them.

Check out www.abcya.com - it's one of our favorites!

I'll be checking back to your post often to read others replies for advice on reading over the summer for my daughter (she's also going into second grade)!

Morning. Do the schoolwork in the morning. They get summer fun after the work is done!

Check to see if you can find something from Doris Kindersley online.

Dawn

We always read at bedtime. My boys (going into 2nd and 3rd grade) each get a sticker for reading a book by themselves and then we also read a chapter or two of a chapter book together. Our library also does a summer reading program with incentives for reading x many books/pages. Last year my older son would sit down and read on his own to reach his goals faster.

As for math sites, my kids really love http://coolmathforkids.com It has a lot of neat math games and brain teasers. Even my 4 year old like to play the games on there. I also just found http://www.dadsworksheets.com/v1/Worksheets/Subtraction.html which has printable math practice sheets. I have just started using 1 timed test a day just to keep their facts fresh over the summer.

It really depends on your schedule, if you keep one during the summer. If your basically staying home every day then usually in the afternoon works, or read before bedtime.

We do a program called Kumon...in the summer we do both reading and math, when school is in, we do just the math. My dd is way ahead of her classmates especially in math since she does it all year.

My daughter brings books with her into the bathroom and reads on the toilet. She also reads before bed. Check any book store or Target and you can pick up some math workbooks (I am not sure of any websites other than early math). I have my daughter work on them when we are on long trips in the car or if she tells me she is bored.

I would have your children do some of both after breakfast. This way they have the afternoons to do what they want. Make it fun and not like a chore or they won’t want to do any of it.

I do a weekly incentive chart for reading. Set a goal of minutes/pages/chapters per week and track it on a calendar or chart. If the goal is met, give a small incentive like a trip to the dollar store, ice cream shop, a new book, game night. At her age you can thinkof fun, inexpensive things easily. My kids are older now so I just do one big reward at the end of the summer--a trip to the water park-- if they have a weekly average amount of pages read.

I read with them. That way I can ensure that they are reading properly and understand what they are reading. We do this 2-3 times per day. Morning , afternon, evening. I give each of the two older kids 30 minutes of read time with me. The two younger ones are three years old so I read to them and have them "read" to me. As far as math we have workbooks and Hooked on Math, but Starfall.com is a good website.

Get the math workbook called daily math practice. They come in grade levels. They are 5 math problems daily /5 days /week.

As to what time is better to read, that really depends on your child. Go to the library and get a book list for her/his grade level and check them off as you go. Although we love to read anytime and anywhere, my girls and I always enjoy reading at the library... and sometimes the bookstore.

www.mathfactcafe.com
www.math-drills.com
www.printactivites.com
Leapfrog also has fun activites and printables on their site, although you may need to log in to get the "learning path" stuff. They actually are doing a great "summer camp" program with lots of activities and printables to do with your kids.
www.starfall.com is a good reading site too.
I also got some workbooks from Target - big fat ones for a good deal at the time - and my kids like the variety in them and will flip through and work on whatever appeals to them at the time. I also found some cheap math and writing workbooks at Micheals one time. You just have to keep your eyes open.

I actually had asked a similar question last year, and these were the best that I'd gotten!

As for when to read, do what works best for you and your child. My son likes to save his reading for right before bed, but likes to do worksheets in the mornings. We have it in his chores that he has to do a set amount each day to get his end of the week rewards, although we have homework being "optional" on the weekends.

My boys are older, but I've got one reader and one who doesn't like to read. Our local library has an incentive reading program where you sign up, keep a reading log and get rewards for every certain number of hours. You can also put your name in a weekly raffle to win prizes. Check with your library. If they don't have something like that you could do it on your own or with a group of friends or neighbors.

For my boy who doesn't like to read instead of requiring a certain amount of daily reading I require a certain number of books. He likes to read before bed and then he can read more when he wants or less when he's busy. I also try really hard to find books that interest him. He's older and the library also has a teen incentive reading program that's organized a little differently than the one for the younger kids.

Something else I've thought of doing is designating 30 minutes a day for family reading when we all read together. I love to read so I wouldn't mind.

As for math work I would check with the teachers. They often have good websites or workbooks they can recommend. I have not had much luck getting my kids to do math workbooks over the summer. They get very crabby and resistant. So I try to incorporate math into our daily life--math games, cooking and measuring, counting money, playing or working with patterns, etc. Teachers sometimes have suggestions for making math fun and just part of daily life.

Also, I think the kids do need a break from scheduled, formal school work (IMO) so I try to do other enriching activities with them. We go to the Science Museum and the Zoo frequently. My younger son loves to do camps at both of those places and he often signs up for educational camps run through our school district. This has worked for us to keep their brains engaged, but also have some fun.