Watch a broadway show or musical theater movie with your child. Have him/her make up a song for one of the other characters in a scene that wasn’t singing…or compose a song for “after Happily Ever After”–what happens to the
Dance Party!
Choreograph a routine to the chorus of a favorite piece of music and teach the whole family the dance. It’ll be like your own personal macarena! Anytime you hear it on the radio, family members listening have to do the
Out-of-the-Box Gaming
Much of the appeal of video games for kids lies in flexing their logic/strategy muscles and developing spatial aptitude via the game’s fast action and leveled challenges—not to mention getting the opportunity to be a “hero”—all of which can be
Parking Lot Parade
Getting bikes all gussied up, then parading around on two (or three) wheels with friends is one way to get both fine and gross motor skills moving this summer. And while parents are growing increasingly wary of letting kids play
Personal Soundtracks
I don’t know about you, but my favorite cassettes and CDs as a kid were the movie soundtracks. They were the ones that best “put me in the mood” for whatever it was I needed to get accomplished…or however I
Timing Is Everything
Take advantage of your intrapersonally intelligent child's goal-oriented nature and take a look at what was expected of your child in the math realm during their last quarter of school and what lies ahead in the first quarter of the
Let’s Go!
Adapted with permission from Chicago Park District’s “Once Upon a Day Camp” Guide Find a large, open space and have your child start walking around the room or space. Then, say “Let’s go to [A PLACE]!” (The place can be
Forces of Nature
Inspired by 200+ Active Learning Strategies by James A. Bellanca Play some nature-based music (we recommend trying some of George Winston’s Seasons based piano solos from the early 1980s on YouTube). Have your child pretend to be either the forces
Score Well in Math
Inspired by Super Bowl Sub Game from Teaching Math to People with Down Syndrome and Other Hands On Learners Now that pre-season football has begun and families have started to think about afterschool sports, here’s a fun way to remember
The Way You Make Me Feel
Play different classical music pieces by different composers. How does the music make your child feel? What about each piece makes him/her feel that way? Instruments used? Chord progressions? Tempo? Melody? Harmonies? Extra Credit: Look up what the composer intended the piece