Scott Smitheducator

It is summer! School is out for the summer. Some children have the opportunity to attend summer school but others are home. This doesn’t mean learning has stopped. Summer can be a great time where not only educational learning can take place but life learning too.

Technology is fully part of our culture and we need to help our children embrace it in a positive way. Have your children make short videos for you. Have them do a video of retelling a story or book review. The only evaluation words you need to use when you watch the video back are, “Wow, that’s great, what do you think?”

The “what do you think” places any evaluation back on the child and will begin to develop their own self-evaluation process on their own work. If they say it’s great, go with it, there will be a turning point when they may do it over or create a different video. The objective is self-evaluation and it will become an innate evaluation process you are helping them refine. It’s hard not to assist them with ideas and have them produce a perfect video. Learning and development comes from within and self evaluation and self satisfaction. You can always point out great things you see.

Grandparents, aunts and uncles asking children you know to send you a short video of what they are doing is a great activity for everyone. This is engaging their ability of comprehension along with being a point of connection with the child. The video can be about an activity they did, a story they read or that was read to them, or just how their day was. Any of these skills helps the student build the ability to communicate, evaluate, and learn. Watch over just a short period of time how their short videos will improve.

To get started do a quick check on YouTube of kids doing explanation videos and watch a couple with the child. Ask them if they would like to make a video about something they are currently experiencing. Chances are strong they will. You’ll have them hooked. It may take a couple of times asking but once they feel this is important to you they will most likely take an interest.

In most cases, children want two things — to please you and to be in control. If they say no, just tell them to let you know when and allow them to go off on their own. Chances are high they will want to take on making a video. Don’t think that these videos have to be posted on any social media, you can share with friends if you choose and as a parent you still need to control posting on social media.

All these activities build the child’s ability to expand their understanding and explain in their own words their perspective. These skills are key in school. Have fun and watch the learning take place before your eyes.