Free Summer Learning for Kids- Kick Summer Boredom Goodbye! {PBS Kids}

School is almost out, in fact my kids only have five more days- the time sure flew by! With summer always comes a little sigh of relief around our house that we’ll be getting a break but by about two or three weeks in my kids start getting really bored and according to experts it’s not really smart to take a complete break from learning anyway.

Experts say that all kids lose ground in math, reading or other areas- if they don’t engage in learning activities over the summer. Of course I’m no teacher nor am I really comfortable with taking on that role completely- I’ve already got TONS of things on my plate and the time plus lack of recourses, well I wouldn’t even know where to start.

Thanks to PBS and a Ready to Learn grant from the Dept. of Education PBS KIDS has developed free educational resources, packed in fun games, apps and printable activity sheets, just in time for summer learning and all FREE at PBSKIDS.org/read.

PBS KIDS has also joined with Education.com to create do-it-yourself “reading camp” materials for kids to use at home this summer, available free at http://www.education.com/summer-reading/.

• Be sure to take the Summer Reading Pledge- as soon as you’re child or you and your child have read 10 books you will be entered to win a Kindle Prize Pack.
• Love the reading levels- just chose your child’s grade and they’ll give you the names of 50 books.
• Don’t forget to download the Summer Reading Camp kits so your kids can enjoy fun themed activities too.

And, for free math games and activities, parents and kids can visit The PBS KIDS Lab. In fact math is one of the areas parents say they struggle most to help kids with nearly 30 percent of parents reporting anxiety about teaching their child math. That’s definitely me! I am horrible at math. I can do the daily basics and keep track of my finances, figure it out when it comes to baking and balance a budget sheet but when it comes to the way they are teaching kids in school and the things they are learning I get lost really quickly.

• My favorite feature about The PBS KIDS Lab is the “Browse All Games” section. Here you can search for math games by different skills, age, device or show. The age groups are broken down into a 3-5 category and a 6-8 category. There are TONS of different games to choose from!
• There are also under “Home Activities” different math activities that don’t require your child to sit in front of the computer or an electronic device but are more hands on. (Not that I find anything wrong with learning via technology and electronic devices- in fact all of my kids have their own computers and know how to use them probably better than I do some days.)

Be sure to check out all PBS KIDS has to offer to get your child on the right start for the upcoming school year and to help kick that summer boredom!