It is helpful to keep in mind that, for most children, summer is viewed as a time of fun and relaxation. In an effort to keep from burning out our gifted children’s enthusiasm for continued academics, it advisable to make any summer learning as fun as possible. Staying within your gifted child’s natural bend is a good way to ensure that continued learning takes place, while also encouraging our kids to be kids.
The following are just a few of the ways that both fun, and learning, can be accomplished over the summer break.
1. Summer Camps and Programs
For those of financial means, the summer opportunities for gifted children are vast. There are multiple types of summer camps including:
- Academic Camps
- Sports Camps
- Music Camps
- Nature Camps
- Social Connecting Camps
The varied options can make choosing an area which is on your gifted child’s preference list quite easy, leaving only the details of the trip planning to be worked out.
For the less affluent, there are often many local opportunities. Some local libraries and bookstores provide summer reading programs for students. A running tally of the books read is kept, and the reader of the most books, at the end of the summer, receives recognition. While not quite a camp, a gifted child can thrive on making it a personal challenge to read as many books as possible.
It can also help to check with local churches; public school districts; and nature facilities. Some of these organizations run day camps. Day camps can provide a break from our gifted children being stuck at home for the summer months. They also provide them with the opportunity for continued learning. Day camp topics include:
- Learning about local flora and fauna
- Exploring local culture
- Taking up a new skill
- Experimenting with STEM
2. Online Courses
The invention of the internet has put all manners of learning at our fingertips. Enrolling our gifted children into one of these programs has multiple benefits.
Not only are they able to learn anything that their hearts desire, they are also gaining valuable skills for their future. Many colleges have now incorporated mandatory online course interaction as part of their curriculum. Taking an online class, now, can prepare your gifted child for the type of work which will need to be done once he or she is in college.
Online courses can be selected according to your needs. If there are already family summer plans in place, a self-paced or short-term course can be implemented during the down time.
Some examples of courses that are ideal for online learning include computer coding and math. Some public charter school programs will even provide money to cover the courses, once you have signed up for these funds.
3. Animal Interaction
There comes a time in most children’s lives when they want a pet. This request often produces a groan from a parent, as we tend to know that owning a pet is much more than fun and games. Pet ownership takes time, money, and dedication.
The amount of time needed to properly care for a new pet makes summer break the ideal season for our gifted child to experiment with this important life experience. No school hours means that our little pet owner can get up at night with a whining puppy, or be up at the crack of dawn to feed a squawking duck.
Along with daily pet care can be the added task of making a few bucks to keep the animal in food and grooming supplies. Our gifted children can learn the value of a dollar while offering to mow neighbors lawns, babysit, or tend to their neighbor’s animals. Not only will they be learning about animal care, they will also be obtaining insight into the responsibility aspects which will be part of their adulthood.
4. Growing a Garden
Growing our own herbs, fruits, and vegetables is a rewarding experience for nearly all levels of intellect. There is something extremely satisfying about taking a bite of a food that we, personally, have contributed to creating. For the gifted child, this common experience can be evolved into a scientific study of horticulture.
With the advance of technique and technology, gardens can be grown in just about any location, and in any weather conditions. The addition of greenhouses and grow lights can encourage plants to grow at a rapid pace, and the implementation of hydroponics can eliminate the problem of lack of good soil.
For an added challenge, you can encourage your child to grow multiple plants under varied conditions. Then, have them report on the most effective way to produce results.
5. Learning a Language
Americans are far behind the rest of the world when it comes to learning second, and third languages.
Many of our gifted children have the capacity and drive that is necessary to master another language. Doing so can put them even further ahead of the curve.
In the past, we had to learn languages from books, or even books on tape. Modern technology has changed all of that.
Now, students can learn a language with real-time interaction and feedback, all of which is provided by artificial intelligence. Phone apps for language learning will teach words and phrases in almost any language desired, and will even prompt the user for proper pronunciation.
With learning a second language over the summer, our gifted children will be ready to ace their high school foreign language requirements, and will be ready for their future cultural trips to exotic lands.