Do your kids do summer workbooks?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

We are homeschooling and will be summer schooling due to my challenges during pregnancy. We'll finish just before our move, take A few weeks off then hit the books again.

That being said....my kids usually love the Summerbridge books.

What is funny....many in the homeschooling community are anti workbook (where I am at anyway). But through these summer workbooks, we discovered my kids LOVE them. I end up using them at times to supplement our regular work.

Barnes and Noble tends to have a nice selection. I can also suggest Rainbow Resource catalogue. LOTS of different kinds of workbooks sold with a discount.

As for how to get them to do it? Tie it to privileges. That's how I get my kids to do their work. No electronics, no fun...until schoolwork is done. For summerwork, keep it SHORT....no more than 10-20 minutes since your goal is to keep them fresh and not learning new material. My daughters are finishing first and fourth grade and that is about the time they spend on "extra" work like that.

They also read a lot!

You can even reward sections that are completed with a special activity for additional motivation.

 

[ElizK]

My kids are older, but we did them when they were little. I would tell them they were required to do one math page (front and back), and anything they did beyond that I paid them a quarter per page (front and back). They earned money this way for souvenirs on our Disney trip. Older DD managed to earn about $11.00, and younger DD earned about $8.00. I was pretty pleased!

 

[pajamommy]

I'm one of those Moms that say it's summer, have fun! But I do admire those Moms and Dads that do keep up with school work over the summer.....my fiance does with his son. He has a tutor once a week to just stay sharp with things. I'm not that good! My kids just enjoy summer vacation, and get the break I think they both need.

 

[mom0299]

I don't usually make my kids do paper and pencil work in the summer. They do read and we do a lot of travel that can be considered educational. They also spend a lot of time just having fun.
This summer is different. DD struggled with math this year and I don't want her to forget all that she worked so hard to learn. I have printed off worksheets for her to work on. We will start those next week. I'll only make her do one sheet per day. This week both kids are having a great time at enrichment camp so I think they are getting enough school (albeit fun) this week.

 

[C.Ann]

My kids are older, but we did them when they were little. I would tell them they were required to do one math page (front and back), and anything they did beyond that I paid them a quarter per page (front and back). They earned money this way for souvenirs on our Disney trip. Older DD managed to earn about $11.00, and younger DD earned about $8.00. I was pretty pleased!

When I first glanced at this, I thought it said your older DD managed to earn $11,000!! For a second there, I was so wishing I was your kid..

 

[paintnolish]

No, they do not. They continue to read and do the library's summer reading program. Other than that, they do a lot of playing outside, and we take a lot of day trips. I believe summer is meant to be a break from school work, and a time when kids can engage in other fun AND educational activities.

 

[pirateofthecarolinas]

No workbooks. I do require them to read. DD13 can read a novel in a couple of days. DS15 may finish 2 this summer. DS8 is going to a 5 week reading enrichment program. He is below grade level in reading due to dyslexia. Hopefully, by the end of the summer he will be on grade level.

All 3 of my children want me to work with them on their cursive handwriting.

I'm also going to work with DS15 on counting out change. He just never "got it" in school so we are going to practice. I noticed that he was always apprehensive about having enough money to pay for something. We talked about it and he admitted that he wasn't comfortable with counting $.

So, in a nutshell, we will be working of Life Skills this summer!

 

[powellrj]

We have never done workbooks over the summer months. Our schools use to offer fun summer school classes that the kids would always take. Things like camping and French, but those went the way of budget cuts. My DD is doing summer reading at the library, but its for fun.

 

[golfgal]

When the kids were in early elementary years we had them do a page or two out of a workbook each day, usually when they were eating breakfast or lunch. It didn't cut into any play time and it helps retain what they learned in school that year. They always have read before bed so that isn't an issue. Now that they are in high school they do have some summer reading they have to complete for classes in the fall but again, they read before bed anyway.

 

[luvsJack]

There is also ample research to support that kids can lose up to 25% of what they have learned the previous year during the months away from school. My child is an A/B student and for her the worksheets aren't idiotic. Consider yourself lucky that your kids don't slide. I consider myself lucky that DD can do some schoolwork during the summer and still have a great time.

You are correct that they can lose that much and more and a bit of review of things learned certainly doesn't hurt and I wouldn't call it idiotic.

But, I hope that everyone does realize that there are a million and one ways to review skills without workbooks. And some kids just don't learn or retain knowledge by using worksheets.

My kids have been A/B students (well, one wasn't always and had the ability but that is another whole subject and has nothing to do with summer worksheets) and the oldest two obtained scholarships without doing one summer worksheet.

 

[luvmy3]

You are correct that they can lose that much and more and a bit of review of things learned certainly doesn't hurt and I wouldn't call it idiotic.

But, I hope that everyone does realize that there are a million and one ways to review skills without workbooks. And some kids just don't learn or retain knowledge by using worksheets.

My kids have been A/B students (well, one wasn't always and had the ability but that is another whole subject and has nothing to do with summer worksheets) and the oldest two obtained scholarships without doing one summer worksheet.

We don't do workbooks, but that doesn't mean my kids aren't learning anything new or using what they have learned. My whole garage looks like a mad science lab, its filled with things for my kids to do that gives them hands-on learning (math and science). I think this summer's project is to build a robot. They will get so much more from doing that than sitting at the table doing worksheets for an hour. My dd has expressed an interest in cooking so I plan on letting her go wild in the kitchen this summer. There are so many ways to keep kids sharp over the summer.

 

[Magic Mom]

You are correct that they can lose that much and more and a bit of review of things learned certainly doesn't hurt and I wouldn't call it idiotic.

But, I hope that everyone does realize that there are a million and one ways to review skills without workbooks. And some kids just don't learn or retain knowledge by using worksheets.

My kids have been A/B students (well, one wasn't always and had the ability but that is another whole subject and has nothing to do with summer worksheets) and the oldest two obtained scholarships without doing one summer worksheet.

I agree, there are lots of ways to retain what you've learned. It doesn't have to be with a worksheet. DD does some worksheets and she also uses a computer program provided by the school. Really I wish she was a straight A gifted wonder child, but instead she is just a really smart, regular kid that needs to keep her skills sharp or she loses them. She'll have to settle for a few hours less fun every week.....oh the horrors.

 

[NewCrew42]

My kids did summer workbooks while in elementary school. It really helped them, especially my DD. In fact she would ask for workbooks.

Now that they are in middle school and high school we do not do workbooks but we do continue our summer reading. Now they both have summer reading lists.

DS did work on ACT workbooks this summer. Does that count?

 

[okeydokey]

No, I don't make them do anything. They both love to read though and read a lot during summer break.