The busy holiday season is now officially over but if youre like us, your school aged child is still on vacation. Three weeks is a long time to be away from the rigors and mental stimulation of school. If my 3rd grader had his way, the entire 3 weeks would be spent watching t.v. and playing video games with a few hours of Lego building thrown in. In my household, however, this will not fly. I am a firm believer in continuous education (just take a look-see at my student loan bill…oy!) and any kid of mine better prepare for school breaks full of enriching activities. Here is a list of ideas to keep your elementary school kids brains stimulated during the long break:

1. Printables/Worksheets and Art Projects (all subjects): Education.com provides a treasure trove of grade appropriate printables (e.g. worksheets, but doesnt printables sound more fun?) and activity ideas in Math, Science, Social Studies, Art, and Language Arts. Simply choose your childs grade level, select the subject you would like to search for, and voila, you get pages and pages of printables. For our craftier parents, click on the Activities tabs for great art projects and activities. Best of all, its free to join!

If you are a hardcore mean mom like me, you can also purchase workbooks. We are big on math in my household so I purchase Singapore Math workbooks for extra enrichment and math practice. Singapore is known for having the best Math students in the world and this series of texts and workbooks is based on Singapores teaching methodology. Dont worry, it is stuff your kids are already learning and its in English; it is just presented in, in my opinion, a more intuitive way. It also emphasizes mental math which is an important LIFE skill, never mind the educational benefits. I buy 3 levels at a time, one with review content, one with current content, and one with future content (you dont have to get ready if you stay ready). I bought mine at Christianbookstore.com, they were $7.99 each at the time. You can also get them on Amazon.com. If math isnt your thing, check out Homeschooling supply websites for workbooks in other subjects.

2. Family Games (Math and Critical Thinking): In my house we play a lot of Yahtzee. Like I mentioned above, I am a big proponent of building mental math skills. Yahtzee helps develop mental math when kids have to add up (or multiply) their dice for scoring. Figuring out the final tally helps kids practice column addition and regrouping (carrying). Yahtzee also teaches kids strategy (critical thinking skills): ex. is it better to use these four 4s for my four of a kind or for my 4s, do I go for a my 3 of a kind or my full house? etc…

Another game we like in our house is a card game by Gamewright called Loot. This is a game for older kids (Manufacturers suggest age 10 and up, but my 8 year old kicked my booty) as it involves quite a bit of strategy: you have to decide which cards to play and when. It also involves mental math when you add up your loot at the end to determine the winner. Loot won the prestigious Mensa Select award in 2005. ‘Nuff said.

Classics like Risk, Checkers, Mancala, and Connect-Four are also great strategy (critical thinking) and spatial skill builders.

3. Reading (Language Arts): If you are reading this post I probably dont have to explain the benefits of reading

Tips to get the most out of this time:

• Set age appropriate parameters: For example, a minimum of 30 minutes a day and they have to finish the book (picture books) or chapter. My child will stop mid-sentence if I only set a time limit and chapters vary in length so making this a two step requirement will help them make the most of this time. Third graders and up can write a paragraph summarizing what they read. Keep a journal or composition book for these writings.
• Let them use your e-reader such as a Kindle or Nook if you have one. You can get library books for them online through your local library (everyone loves FREE) and when they come across a word they don’t know, they can use the dictionary feature to look up the definition. This is a great way to build their vocabulary!

4. Everyday Math (Math, Life Skills, and Economics): 

• Have your kids practice fractions and measurements by helping you bake or cook something delicious. The best part is getting to eat what you make!
• Another idea is to take them grocery shopping and practice rounding (round to the nearest dollar) and mental math by keeping a running total of the groceries you are buying (also a great lesson in budgeting and knowing what things cost in general).

5. Take a Nature Walk (Science): This can be at the beach, a park, a nearby lake, anywhere you can find nature. Have the kids make a field journal by stapling a few sheets of copier paper into a booklet. During the walk, have them write down their observations. You can also bring a jar to collect samples of the local flora or rocks. Do a little preparation for your walk by Googling ecosystems and biomes to determine which biome your walk will be in and what kind of fauna and flora they should expect to see. For colder climates, have a snow day and focus on how organisms prepare for and change in response to the challenges of the winter months.

6. Visit a Museum (Art, History, and Science): This is a a fun way to sneak in learning. Even if you are still on vacation or visiting family, you can use Museumspot.com or the free Museum Finder app for iPhone to find a museum nearby.

7. Study Island (Math, Language Arts, Social studies, Science): This is a web based enrichment site offered through your childs school with grade-level games and quizzes. Ask your child’s teacher if they participate in this program. They will need to give you your childs username and password.

What sort of activities do you do in your household to keep little minds busy during a long school break? Leave a comment to share!

Disclaimer: I have not received any form of compensation for any products or websites recommended in this article. All opinions are my own and were unsolicited. All products mentioned were purchased with my own money. At the time of this posting none of the manufacturers or websites are sponsors of this blog nor am I an affiliate.