How To Avoid the "Summer Slide"

Simple & Fun Ways to Keep Learning Alive This Summer!
Looking for easy ways to keep your child’s mind active over the break? Try a few of these fun and family-friendly ideas:
-
✏️ Start a Summer Journal – Set aside time to write together twice a week. It’s a great way to reflect and build writing skills.
-
🎨 Get Creative – Use recycled materials around the house to build, invent, or craft something unique.
-
🎲 Host a Family Game Night – Try a new board or card game that gets everyone thinking and laughing.
-
🥕 Explore Local Flavor – Visit a farmers' market or Summer Food Service site and talk about where food comes from. (Check out markets in Mount Airy, Dobson, or Elkin!)
-
📚 Read Together – Pick a book for a family read-aloud or book study and discuss it over dinner.
-
💌 Write to a Pen Pal – Encourage your child to write and mail letters to a friend or relative—they’ll build writing skills and brighten someone’s day.
-
🌳 Take Learning Outside – Go on a nature walk and talk about what you see, hear, and smell. Collect leaves, rocks, or flowers and research them at home.
-
🍳 Cook Together – Choose a simple recipe, read it together, and let your child help with measuring and mixing—it’s math and reading in action!
-
🧩 Create a Puzzle Challenge – Work on a jigsaw puzzle or create your own with cardboard and crayons.
-
🗺️ Be a Local Tourist – Visit our Mount Airy Museum of Regional History, local libraries, historical sites, or hiking trails, and learn something new together.
- 🏙️ Explore Downtown Mount Airy – Go on a downtown scavenger hunt! Look for murals, landmarks, and Mayberry-themed surprises. (Download our printable scavenger hunt below.)
- 🚴♀️ Bike & Scavenger Hunt Adventure 🌿 (Download our printable scavenger hunt below.)
Grab your bikes and head to the local greenway for a day of fun and fitness! Along the way, turn your ride into a scavenger hunt, look for things like a red flower, a butterfly, a bench, a bird's nest, or a squirrel. Bring a notebook to jot down your findings or take pictures along the route. It’s a great way to stay active, explore nature, and make lasting summer memories together.
Click here to download your family's printable scavenger hunt sheets- have fun!
Click here to download your family's printable Downtown Mount Airy Scavenger Hunt