Research & Discovery

Looking after little ones this summer? Here’s how they can have fun and keep learning

It’s only 10 a.m. and you’ve already gone through bubbles, blocks and the water table and you’re fresh out of ideas. Sound familiar? Whether parent, caregiver or educator, long summer days with little ones can be joyful and exhausting. Thankfully, a new source of inspiration is just a click away.

Kate Matthew, of the School of Education and Human Development, is co-leader of the Early Childhood Education Resource Hub, which offers free, high-quality educational resources for those with young children, from infants to 5-year-olds. (Contributed photo)

The University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development’s Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning, in partnership with the Virginia Department of Education, developed the Early Childhood Education Resource Hub to offer free, high-quality educational resources for children from infants to age 5.

The collection includes activity ideas, videos, book suggestions and more, all accompanied by guiding questions to help caregivers make the most of them.

“We envision people using these to spark conversation and growth in professional development sessions, coaching or self-reflection,” said Kate Matthew, a senior project manager with the Center for Advanced Study of Teaching and Learning and co-leader of the resource hub.

Centered around the essential skills of relating, regulating, communicating, thinking and moving, the hub is designed with educators in mind, but is equally valuable for parents and caregivers. The site features a variety of take-home strategies to support young children’s development.

“The hub is designed to be utilized by all,” Matthew said. “Activities can easily be adjusted based on each child’s abilities, interests and what’s available at home.”

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Promoting self-confidence

Promoting self-confidence is a core part of the “relating” skill, and the hub has several activity suggestions. Self-confidence means believing you are capable, that you can do things and have good ideas. When a child feels confident in their abilities, they are more likely to try new things and to keep going when things get tough.

Here are some ideas:

Explore characters
Read books and pause to talk about the problems or challenges. Point out how the characters believe in themselves and keep going even when things are tough. Do the same while pretending with dolls, stuffed animals or puppets.
Set up a challenge
These can be physical challenges, such as crawling or climbing over something. Or these challenges can involve problem-solving, such as having them figure out how to build a bridge using boxes or blocks.
Go to the kitchen
Choose a simple recipe and let your child help prepare it. As much as possible, let them add the ingredients, mix, stir or fold. Point out how they are being helpful. For example, “You stirred the sauce. That was helpful. We are working together to make this meal!”
Build something
Encourage your child to build different structures. They can use blocks, boxes, sticks and play dough. As they build, focus on effort and persistence by saying, “You keep trying different ways to do it.”

For more strategies and resources, visit online or sign up for the monthly newsletter, which highlights activities, books and more resources you can use right away.