Summer reading and math packets assigned by schools to prevent the summer slide represent one way for kids to maintain their skills but they aren’t for everyone. The truth is getting your child to sit down and complete the many pages of paper and pencil tasks is a struggle when the weather is warm, school seems like months away, and kids want to be kids. As parents, we have to pick our battles. The former teacher in me knows that the loss of skills in kids is real during the summer months while the parent in me wants my kids to have a break. What to do? Never fear. Balance is achievable!
The key is knowing your child and knowing how they learn. Most kids benefit from hands on learning that involves interacting with subject matter to reinforce skills. For some this means using manipulatives to make representations of math problems or using real world skills like cooking to develop an interest in fractions and chemistry through kitchen science while others like interacting with content through a screen.
Believe me when I tell you not all screen time is the same. There is a huge difference between passive screen time and engaging screen time that actively works the mind. And there’s nothing wrong with screen time as long as you’re choosing content that is beneficial to your kids.
Thanks to Netflix, quality content that helps reinforce what is being learned at school is always available thanks to streaming. Here are just a few examples of how Netflix streaming can serve as a way to learn especially when you take the time to sit down, watch together, and talk about what you’ve seen.
Learn history with the Mr. Peabody and Sherman Show
See how kitchen chemistry and measurement of ingredients plays out in real life thanks to the successes and flops on Cupcake Wars
Learn about differnt kinds of relationships thanks to Fuller House
Better understand quadratic functions with the help of LEGO Friends
Teach your children about marine geology with The Deep
Inspire your girls to be scientists thanks to Project Mc².
I am a Netflix Stream Team Member and while I am not compensated, my family does enjoy a complimentary Netflix subscription and other items for my involvement.
