Learning on the Road

by: Deborah Sharp Libby, Ph.D.

The bright sun and crowded pools can only mean one thing: summer is here, and with it comes busy schedules, vacations and time on the road. However, road trips and travel offer the perfect opportunity to encourage your child’s literary skills and creativity to ensure they are prepared when the school bell rings again.

Remember When?

Summer vacation is filled with exciting experiences and funny memories. To help your child’s creative thinking and writing skills, help them create their own summer travel journal. During your trip, ask your child to write a few details about each day in a journal. Encourage them to jot down sights, sounds, smells and feelings encountered throughout the day. Your budding artist can also illustrate their story with images snapped using the Kidizoom Camera, and they can even add to the photos with the camera’s built-in wacky editing effects. By the end of your summer trip, you’ll have a wonderful keepsake filled with special family memories to look back at and say: “Remember when?”

Priority Mail

Who needs a postcard from the local gift shop when you can create a personalized postcard as a family? Purchase blank postcards and encourage your little one to create an image and a short letter about their vacation to share with their friends. A great way to introduce your child to writing friendly letters is to start by helping them jot down a greeting, a few exciting details or a funny story about places visited. If your tot is not writing quite yet, you can ask them to tell you verbally while you write—this will help them stretch their creative muscle and get interested in writing.

Portable Prose

Summer travel is always busy and filled with new adventures, but it is important to keep the reading traditions you have at home even when you are away. Books are portable, so remember to bring them along to read before bedtime or while lounging by the pool. Make reading part of the travel adventure by asking your tot to read text on the map or the safety instructions on the plane. Wherever your journey takes you, reading is a great way to pass the time and promote your child's literacy development.

Let the Games Begin!

Summer vacation is the perfect time to set aside game time for your family. Pack some of your favorite portable card, board and electronic games to take on the road, and plus up the learning by choosing games that reinforce basic skills in reading and math. These activities bring families together and are a great way to teach your children important lessons about fairness, sportsmanship and cooperation. V.Smile Cyber Pocket is a portable gaming console with tons of games that reinforce language, vocabulary and math skills—and your kids will love playing with characters from their favorite movies like Shrek, Monsters Vs. Aliens and UP!

Happy summer travels!