Tackle learning loss this summer with these free fun activities your kids can do at home – top tips from education specialist
The summer holidays and maths don’t always necessarily go hand in hand. In fact, many children would prefer ice cream to a calculator on those long, hot summer days. However, maths is far more than written equations on a page. It can also boost your child’s power of reasoning, creativity, problem-solving ability and even effective communication skills – with all sorts of fun and engaging interactive activities.
Grant Smith is a dad of two and VP of Education for kids coding brand, Code Ninjas. With the summer coming up fast, he wants to make learning fun and exciting. In a bid to support busy parents from across the nation, he’s put together this guide of the top activities your child can enjoy – unassisted! – to increase learning during downtime over the school break.
Get crafty
In keeping with Code Ninjas’ goals, Grant understands the importance of making academic topics fun. Take jewellery making, where kids can let their imaginations run wild creating patterns for their own jewellery pieces using beads of different shapes, sizes and colours. This not only gets them thinking about patterns, and therefore codes, but increases their fine motor skills. Plus, they get some brand-new accessories from it that they can show off to all their friends!
Want to take this idea one step further? Try incorporating a social aspect by asking your child to make the jewellery for a specific family member, friend, an elderly neighbour or their favourite aunt. All choices about the jewellery they make, including the colours used and all other style aspects, will be based on what they think the recipient would like. This teaches them to think of and prioritise others, whilst improving their practical skills. Jewellery making is suitable for children aged eight and over.1
Go retro
If it was good enough for us, why shouldn’t it be good enough for them? The Rubik’s Cube is a classic way of practising coding skills whilst having fun. As well as improving mathematical skills, this rainbow cube teaches children patience and perseverance. You could also switch things up a bit to make sure they don’t get bored, by buying a multi-pack of different cubes - things have changed since the 1970s!
Standard-size Rubik’s Cubes are recommended for children aged five and above2, and although this may seem too young to start coding, Grant explains that this is actually the perfect age to introduce them to the concept. This is because coding helps improve problem-solving skills and self-efficacy, providing valuable skills for later in life. This makes the humble Rubik’s Cube a simple yet great choice.
You can buy a multipack of Rubik’s-style puzzles here.
Try gaming
There’s a lot of fun to be had online in the form of entertaining and interactive coding games, many of which children can access freely from home - a perfect choice if they’re looking for an activity to get stuck into on the computer or smart device. The problem-solving aspect of these games will not only make the learning fun but will also have a wider impact when your child goes back to school.
A game that is perfect for younger kids is Scratch, which allows them to create their own animated story. Together with your child you can explore story ideas and how the software works, but why not leave them to learn and complete the story by themselves? Scratch is best suited to pre-teens and tweens, and ScratchJr is available on smart devices for children aged between five and seven. Find Scratch at https://scratch.mit.edu/ and ScratchJR at https://www.scratchjr.org/.
Microsoft MakeCode is another online coding activity that is for all kids at any skill level. With guided tutorials and how-to videos at their fingertips, kids have a range of coding games to choose from, from sharks to superpowers, to saving the planet! You can find their world of gaming at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/makecode
If none of these activities suit, or your child wants to experience more in-depth and exciting coding-based activities, why not bring them down to a Code Ninjas studio? There are locations across the UK - and most studios have a whole host of summer camps on offer, which run throughout the summer break.
To find out more about Code Ninjas’ summer camps, visit www.codeninjas.com/locations-list/gb to find your closest location.
1 Parents, 2022, Age-by-Age Guide to Toys
2 Mentalup, 2022, Top Educational Toys of All Time