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« Articles & Advice

Clever Ideas for Smart Summertime Fun!

Clever Summertime Learning

May 26, 2005, by The Critical Thinking Co. Staff

Keep your children focused this summer with cleverly disguised learning activities that are so much fun, your kids won't even know they're learning! The key is in the approach. Below are a few examples:

Tip #1: Swap a bedtime story with a quick riddle or two from Dr. DooRiddles and watch your child's imagination take off! He or she will be actively engaged in deductive reasoning, figuring out all those clues! An amazing resource, these creative riddles develop fluency, understanding of word meanings and associations, and improve both spelling and vocabulary.

Tip #2: After dinner is an excellent time for quick, family-friendly games and to encourage a life-long love of learning. Fun for all ages, Think-A-Grams verbal picture puzzles will have the whole family laughing and shouting answers to these familiar idioms, clichés, and common phrases. These engaging verbal picture puzzles will connect and sharpen students’ left-brain (memory) and right-brain (symbolic/pictorial) thinking.

Tip #3: Interactive media (PC, online, console, and video games) whether we like it or not, is the wave of the future. We highly recommend joining the fun and choosing a game that mixes game time with brain time. Challenge your child to a game of Balance Benders (available in software, book, and e-book formats). It's guaranteed to be fun and challenging for a multitude of skill levels.

Tip #4: Constantly amaze your little one with quick and simple experiments that model scientific principles. Introduce the physics of inertia with a few nickels, or the wonders of floating with only a paper clip! Developing Critical Thinking through Science is chock-full of great teaching ideas and experiments certain to inspire your growing scientist.

Tip #5: Host a "Game Party" with friends and neighbors—and their kids! Make up your own rules and be creative! Host a Mind Benders® Olympics, or a Red Herring Mysteries game show! Whether played competitively or just for fun, the social atmosphere is great for kids, and the adults can play, too!