Keep kids busy this summer

Vielka McFarlane, a longtime educator who is the CEO and founder of Celerity Educational Group in Los Angeles, offers suggestions to parents on ways to keep their children busy during the summer.

"You have to motivate and stimulate their minds and bodies," said McFarlane. "You have to provide them with choices and opportunities to expand on the classroom knowledge they gained during the year." How you keep a child busy depends on their developmental stage and grade level, she said; nevertheless there are key activities that will enrich a child and occupy their minds.

Build- Have them build a kite, a bird house, a boat or a Lego structure. Building accesses spatial temporal reasoning and improves fine motor skills. More importantly, most kids get absorbed in the process of creation.

Cook- Have kids help in the kitchen. Cooking utilizes reading and math skills and basic judgmentThe finished product will produce pride and self-confidence. It also gives the parent a mini-vacation.

Chess and Scrabble- Chess accesses math and sequencing skills. It is an excellent way of keeping a child's mind active and quickMany public libraries have chess clubs that give children an opportunity to compete. Scrabble is an excellent way of building vocabulary and perfecting dictionary skillsArt- Summer art projects can be great for keeping kids busy. Get them outside to work on landscape paintings or drawings or a found art project. Looking for components for their project can become a treasure hunt. The art supplies provided can be minimal. The point is to give them ideas for their creation.

Write- Activate a child's storytelling abilities by reading them a portion of a story and having them finish the story in their own words. Younger children can also illustrate their stories. Writing flexes the entire brain and is beneficial for a child's development and success in school.

Take a Tour- Contact the local newspaper or TV station and ask about arranging a tour. Go to a museum or see an art exhibit to find out how art imitates life. Take a trip to the zoo and take in the sights and sounds of wildlife. Spend a day in another world while experiencing life firsthand.

These ideas may seem basic, but they utilize key mental and physical skills. These six tips, with some preparation, can keep a child active all summer and get them primed for the school year.