Easy Activities To Keep Your Kids Learning From June to August
Students will be let out of school in the coming weeks and some parents are scrambling to find the right summer programs, camps, and daycares for their children; but our parents are at ease with our year-round Preschool. In fact, our teachers are excited for the unique opportunities for learning, parent-child bonding, cultural immersion, and field trips that come along with the warm weather.
“All of our activities come from a curriculum we create in Teaching Strategies GOLD,” explained Preschool Education Manager, Valerie Laboy-Ramos. This tool automatically links teaching and assessment, allowing teachers to easily track each child’s progress and share it with family members; so they can focus on the individual development and learning needs of each student.
This month, students will be learning about the summer season and preparing for the talent show happening in early July during our family picnic. “Each of our four classrooms prepares a skit, song, or dance for the talent show,” based on what the students are learning, said Laboy-Ramos. At our preschool, we incorporate pointing and singing into some of our everyday activities because “it helps students express themselves and develop language,” Laboy-Ramos added. During the picnic families will have the chance to see their child’s progress and be introduced to fellow parents while enjoying food, face painting, games, and a visit from some Boston Police Officers.
Also this summer, through lessons about Salsa music and dancing, children will be exposed to more of our Hispanic culture - a core component of our curriculum since we are a bilingual Preschool with strong community ties. One activity that we use in our classrooms that parents can also use at home is to invite the children to draw while listening to music and have them describe what they hear. As Laboy Ramos described, “This exercise covers more than physical development skills.” She went on to list just of few of those things, including: how to manage feelings, using writing and drawing tools, language comprehension, expanding expressive vocabulary, demonstrates creative thinking skills, and more. Not to mention that this exposure to culture encourages diversity and teaches acceptance.
In fact, we invite parents to continue this learning through bringing their children to some of cultural events happening throughout the summer right in Villa Victoria, like the Tito Puente Latin Music Series and Festival Betances. At Festival Betances on July 15th & 16th, parents can even meet with teachers in the Kids Zone to learn more about our Preschool and witness some of these fun and educational activities first hand.
For parents that may be traveling this summer, our Preschool offers an activity packet for students to take with them on their trip, “this way they can review learned skills and [we can] orient parents on how to use each opportunity as a learning experience while they have fun,” said Laboy-Ramos. “The package serves as a reminder for parents of the basic skills their child has been practicing in our classrooms.” For example, one activity that helps stimulate your child’s sensory and fine motor skills while reviewing basic numbers, colors, and shapes is to ask them to set the table. “Count aloud together the number of people who will be sitting at the table. Invite this child to pick out the correct number of placemats, napkins, utensils, plates, bowls, and cups; while engaging her/him in a conversation about their task,” described Laboy-Ramos. She also added other tips, like while you cook, introduce your child to color with different vegetables, ask them, “What color is it?” When you sit down to eat, ask your child how the food tastes - “Is it salty, sweet, or sour?”
“Introducing new things to your child like a game helps with their social emotional development,” in addition to practicing their previously learned academic skills, explained Laboy-Ramos.
There are many more activities parents can practice with their children and exciting classroom lessons that will be happening at our Preschool this summer. If you would like to know more about our Preschool, check out our website here. If you’re interested in touring our preschool, you can contact Janice Nevarez by phone at (617) 535-1753 or by emailing jnevarez@ibaboston.org....