Summer 2022 is here and for many students, it marks the first time in a few years that they’ve been able to get out and have some real summer fun. But what will that fun look like? It might seem counterintuitive to plan how to play, but too often it’s a long, hot, and wasted summer if you don’t. Here are some just-in-time tips to keep your child grinning and growing this summer:

A Plan to Play 

The building blocks for a fun and productive summer are planning and structure. Do you live near any of the many public spaces or cultural centers that Newark has to offer, whether the Newark Museum of Art or one of its many parks, from Weequahic to Branch Brook? Help your child do the research and get going. 

Make Reading Fun

Every year, many young people participate in the Newark Public Library’s annual summer reading program. The library has eight welcoming neighborhood branches throughout the city, which offer a place to get out of the heat and earn some prizes, even for reading small increments at a time. You can find more information about the library’s children’s services and programs here.

Call It a Day

We all use calendars to manage and track our time, so why not our kids? Set them up now to create and decorate a paper calendar with blocks they’ll fill in with both down time and activities. It’s an incentive for them to find things to do and for parents to make sure their children are occupied. If you’re not with them during the day, dinnertime is a great time for them to report back on one of the activities and what’s coming up next. 

Remember Family and Friends 

Many families in Newark have the benefit of being multi-generational, with grandparents and grandchildren, aunts, uncles, and cousins living nearby. Have your kids engage their relatives, or give them a hand, and help them learn a little bit more about who they are. Have them make a family recipe, draw a family tree, or take down an oral history from a grandparent.