Virtual Tour ~ Nzingha West

5 Steps to a more productive summer for your child

1. Plan activities outside of summer camp or day camp
If you want to make sure your child is having the best summer he/she can possibly have, you should definitely make some time for family and look into the free programs being offered in your community. Take advantage of the museums, zoos and amusement parks in your area. Many times the zoos and museums have free days and free activities. Check the local museums and zoos’ website for additional information.

2. Do some school work activities with your child
I know, I know, school is meant only for the time between September and June, after that it’s playtime. Did you know that most children forget much of what they have learned during the school year over the summer break? In order to combat that, you should plan to do some school based activities with your child. Reading books, writing book reports and brushing up on math can be fun. Make the book reports theme based using what your child likes as muse. Make the top score on the math test rewarding by offering a movie night. Anything you do with you child can be fun. Use your imagination

3. Create a Schedule
It’s hard to break a child out of 12am to 12pm sleep schedules. Combat that by developing and sticking to a schedule that will be helpful for everyone in the family. Offer children rewards like family night, or pizza night (or whatever makes them happy) for sticking to their “in the bed” curfew.

4. Enroll your child in a program or swap days with other parents
If you can’t afford to enroll your child in summer or day camp and there are other families in your same situation, you may be able to swap days with other families. It’ll be similar to a carpool, where one mom ships everyone’s children on one day etc. This is a good way to keep your sanity (and the other parents’ sanity) and to differentiate your child’s learning and activities over the summer without paying tons of money. If you enroll your child in a summer program you should make sure they have an activities sheet which outlines all trips and daily schedules. You should also check for licensing and background checks. Keep copies of all contracts and/or agreements and paid checks, they may come in handy.

5. If your child has been held back
If your child has been held back, the summer is the perfect time to build up the skills he/she is lacking in. Investing in a good tutor and creating a plan with the school can possibly reverse your child’s retention. You should make provisions with the school prior to the last day and enroll your child in summer school if it is available to you. Once you have your plan in place have a meeting with your child’s teacher and principal to see what reading/math levels would be acceptable to move your child to the next level and work on that for the entire summer. No need to accept the retention, just work on changing it.

About the author ~ 

Nzingha West is a special education specialist working in New York City. As an instructor Nzingha’s expertise has been featured onRadio Disney, 106.7 Lite Fm in New York, News 12 Connecticut, NPR Radio and several parenting magazines. Before starting her education career Nzingha worked in several labs as chemist. Nzingha has honed her education expertise over 10 years in New York City schools and private companies. Nzingha has worked with several prestigous schools such as The Harlem Children’s Zone, University Settlement, The New York Foundling, The American Museum of Natural History and The City College of New York among others.

Nzingha is also the owner of Urbane Academics where she provides Special Education Advocacy, Educational Testing and Private and Small group instruction from her office. Because of her vast level of knowledge and expertise, Nzingha has worked with students in some of the most prestigious schools in New York such as the Brearley School, The Dalton School, The United Nations International School, The British International School as well as several public and parochial schools.

Nzingha firmly believes in the fair education of all students and their families no matter their economic status.

Visit the Urban Academics website

Follow Urban Academics on Twitter

Like Urban Academics on Facebook

Visit the Is My Kid Stupid website
Email ~ nzingha AT ismykidstupid DOT com

Her book ~

Is My Kid Stupid? Avoiding An Educational Disaster

 In her new, informative book Is My Kid Stupid? Avoiding An Educational Disaster, Special Education expert Nzingha West offers proven methods of approach that will increase the quality of your child’s education whether your child is learning disabled or just really far behind in school. You can finally stop worrying about your child’s education, because now you’ll have all of the most powerful resources available to you; a book written by an expert and the knowledge that comes with it.

Is My Kid Stupid? Avoiding An Educational Disaster teaches you:How to choose the best practitioner for your child.
How to get a free private school education for your child
How to write the letters that get immediate results for your child
How to choose the best advocate for your child and how to advocate for your child yourself
How to significantly lower the cost of college for your child and eliminate college loans from your vocabulary
  Is My Kid Stupid? Avoiding An Educational Disaster also offers free letter templates and gives you suggestions for helpful websites.