The beach, barbeques, and vacation are all just a few things everyone loves about summer. What do they all have in common? They can be done together as a family. Family time is vital to a child’s health, wellbeing, and achievement. In fact, 82% of Americans believe that spending time together is one of the greatest indicators of success. (Mayer , 2021) What are some ways that parents and children can spend time together, and what tools can help make it happen?

As the school year is wrapping up, there are plenty of opportunities for parents to participate in end-of-the-year fun with children. Technology like Bloomz can connect students, families, and schools. Schools across the state are having graduations, end-of-the-year celebrations, and class parties. Creating and using shared calendars helps students align schedules with parents so no events are missed out on. Families can kick off the summer by spending time together during these much-needed and well-deserved celebrations.

Parents can also take the beginning of the summer to celebrate the effort and hard work students put into the past 10 months. Many students are bringing home end-of-the-year portfolios with a collection of work that was completed this school year. Spend an evening flipping through the portfolio together as a family. Talk about the accomplishments achieved this year, the progress that was made, and the work that they are bringing home.

If your child has completed an online portfolio of work, spend time together reviewing it! Students that worked in distance learning and in-person worked hard on online portfolios this year. It is a fantastic collection of what was learned in school and an invaluable opportunity to spend quality time together. Have your child scroll through their online portfolio and show some notable assignments.

Lastly, parents can begin summer work with their children! Many students are assigned summer work to be completed over the summer. This doesn’t need to be a daunting task or a boring one either! If students are assigned reading, look at a collection of books in your child’s reading level. Pick a book together! Read book reviews, summaries, or even watch youtube videos that detail the plot. Parents can spend a little bit of time each day reading or discussing the book together. Sharing a love of books is a fantastic way to spend some family time together.

Quality time is vital and so important to children and parents alike. Start the summer off on the right foot by spending some time reflecting on this wild year and prepare for some summer fun!

Sources:

• Mayer , S. (2021, May 27). It's about time — the best ways public policy can support parents. The Hill.
• Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash