The end of May and the start of June is a transition time for Asheville area parents. You don't know if you're coming or going. The weather feels like summer. Pools are open, but kids are still putting their backpacks on and going to school. As we head into summer, here’s six fun ways to wrap up the school year.
- Give your teacher a gift. Get your teacher a gift card or a gift basket based on his or her interests. If you don’t know your teacher well, ask your child for some hints or clues. Teachers spend lots of time getting to know our children and we can show our appreciation by getting them a gift aligned with their interests. Even a $10 Gift Card to Target or Amazon, or a local movie theater will be appreciated.
- Show your child how to give back. Have your child write a letter to their teacher sharing what they learned this year, or specifically how they improved. Another idea is to have your child share their favorite memories from the school year. Another fun activity is to have your child share their best advice for the students entering the grade your child is currently completing. Plus, their teachers will love it too.
- Get your student a gift for moving up. Celebrate a successful school year and the start of the summer with a fun gift. Get cool with a gift that delights most ages including crazy new floats for the pool, slip and slides, splash pads or kids’ sprinkler toys. Other awesome gift ideas include age-appropriate books, magazine subscriptions, kites, activity books or a journal to capture favorite memories.
- Plan a family celebration. Go out to dinner somewhere special, make a special dinner at home or head out on a family picnic to a local park, the N.C. Arboretum or the Biltmore Estate. Go grab some ice cream or take your child to a local Farmer’s Market to choose something they want to buy. Make the end of school and the start of summer fun.
- Take a last day of school photo and compare it with the first day. Use our Macaroni Kid Printables to mark your child’s last day of school. Better yet, snap a photo of your child’s last day of school and share it with a picture of their first day of school to see how much they’ve grown! Now try not to cry mama.
- Make sure you’re signed up for Summer Camps. There are so many great Summer Camps in the Asheville area. Benefits of Summer Camp? You keep the learning going and you can select a camp based on your child’s interest to foster skills. Little ones can have a blast and learn new skills while you get a break or, you know, get work done. Lots of Summer Camps keep your kids active and we all know the benefits of physical activity. Your child also can avoid the summertime slide—and won’t lose all of those months of school-year learning. (The summer slide is the real deal. By totally checking out of learning and reading for the summer, your child can lose up to three months of reading and math skills. Check out our list here for some of our featured Summer Camps.
Here’s wishing you a wonderful wrap up of the school year and a magical Summer with your family.
