5 cool alternatives to summer review books

Hello again, readers! I know I have been absent for a couple of months but I am here again with more enthusiasm than before. The end of the course is almost imminent and soon children and teenagers will be on vacation. But some of them will have to do the already famous ones summer review booklets. Once again, publishers are once again collaborating with schools to recommend their notebooks.

As if that was the only or best way to review content! Quite a few parents will say that… "By doing these review booklets, they won't forget what they have studied in class." And they buy most of the subjects: English, mathematics, language ... Perhaps, they have not thought of another way for their children to assimilate what they studied in schools or institutes.

For this reason, in today's post I am going to talk about five alternatives to the review booklets. Don't be scared! They are incredibly easy. And also, in this way, you will spend more time with your children promoting their critical thinking and creativity. Go!

Lots of conversations and discussions at home

Parents who have conversations and discussions at home with their children will promote fluid communication and encourage critical thinking. What can you talk about? Well, of any subject that you can think of or that they have studied at school. You can ask them questions, encourage them to speak their minds in a natural, active and not by obligation as they do in exams.

Thus, you will be making your children know how to reason and reflect on the answers. In many educational centers there is no space for debate or questions. Therefore, it is very important that at home you take into account the ability to analyze and the expression of your children. By talking to you and asking questions, they will learn more than with the review booklets. You will see!

Educational games instead of review books

There are quite a few neuroeducational game sites on the Internet that might be a better option than review booklets. There are many games to review math and language. And also to promote attention and concentration. In this way, the children would be actively assimilating the content and would be having a lot of fun. Although… shouldn't it always be like this?

They have already spent a whole year sitting in a chair listening to teachers and professors, doing homework and studying for exams. For me (and beware, it's just my opinion), it makes no sense to have children and teenagers exercising the same way again in the summer. And more knowing that there are other alternatives, such as neuroeducational games, that promote and work exactly the same.

Emotional education, that great forgotten

There are parents who buy the review booklets for their children and who do not encourage or favor anything else. That is, they follow the thought of "The most important thing is the academic record, grades and subjects". And they don't care about the rest. But academics are not the only relevant thing in the development of children and adolescents. Knowing how to manage and identify emotions is also very important.

It is important but not all schools take it into account. Therefore, and now that summer is coming, I advise you promote the expression of emotions and feelings of your children. Knowing how to recognize when they are sad, angry, happy or disappointed will help them a lot to understand themselves and others as well.

Play outdoors and in nature

Playing outside can assimilate and learn many things. Children who go to the field will be able to see and touch flowers, trees, plants and animals. In a fun, active and authentic way they will be reviewing Natural Sciences content Without them noticing. Also, when you return home (or on the road) you can ask your children about everything they have seen and what they have done.

Remember how important outdoor play is to children's development. Outdoor play favors discovery, new experiences, different investigations, creativity, imagination and decision making. All these concepts are also key for the integral development of children and adolescents. Don't just focus on your children reviewing content in a traditional way.

Museums, cinema, libraries and tourist activities

Museums, movies, libraries, and tourism are great for promote general culture. Perhaps your children have memorized history to pass an exam and have not had the opportunity to see a painting or a sculpture. They may have read many books during the course, but, Which have been by choice? Therefore, I recommend that you go to a library with them and let them choose the books they want to read.

I am almost certain that your children do not fully know the city or town where you live. Why not take advantage of the summer and the holidays to go for a walk in the old town? In this way, you can tell them stories and legends of the place. I am convinced that you will leave them surprised, wanting to know more and asking a lot of questions. General culture can also be learned in an active and original way and not always through review booklets.

Do not forget that children and adolescents have to rest and disconnect

More and more children and adolescents are seeking medical and psychological consultations for stress, anxiety and depression. All this is caused by a excess of duties, of exams and for a great demotivation. Many of them, after hours in the educational centers, have extracurricular activities (and not a few). If we add to that the exercises and study hours ... they don't have much time to do what they like or to disconnect.

Summer is very long. And there is time for everything, it is true. But what they have to do the most is rest, have fun, recharge their batteries and live unique and unforgettable experiences. There are parents who say "No, if the review booklets only take a couple of hours a day away." Yes, but they are two hours in which they could be reviewing the same thing in another way that is more active, fun and authentic for them. I think that on vacations and in summer children and adolescents can get a little out of the routine of doing exercises sitting down, right?