Summer is the time for fostering curiosity

By Heather Bozant Witcher
Contributing writer

Summer is descending rapidly upon us. The heat is beginning, the mosquitoes are biting and the children are dreaming about days at home and vacations.

This summer, we have a big transition coming up. The twins will start kindergarten in August, so we’ve been to orientation at their new school, and there are a few days over the summer when kids and parents from their grade level will get together to socialize. Hopefully, it will be a smooth transition as they make new friends on these play dates.

 But, it will also be the first time that they’ll be placed in different classes, so I’m certain tears will be shed and anxiety will abound. Additionally, my youngest will be at daycare all by himself – not even sharing a car ride with his siblings.

 Heaven help us.

 Our summer, then, will be about practicing transitions, allowing time and space for big feelings and reminding everyone that we’ll all come back home and we’ll all be together.

Our summer will be chill. I’ve set up our backyard for water slides and water tables, a climbing dome and a sandbox. The goal is together-time after returning from daycare.

When I shared these ideas with colleagues, I had a few panicked glances.

“But what about kindergarten-preparedness?”

 “Aren’t you going to start preparing them for the classroom?”

 Certainly, there’s value in those questions – I want my kids to feel confident when they enter the kindergarten classroom. But, I’m less concerned about their halting squiggles as they trace their letters or their ability to count correctly.

 What I am concerned about is their capacity to play and continue developing a curiosity about the world around them. All of my children enjoy sensory activities and “I Spy”-style adventures.

Last week, my youngest was home with strep throat. There were two activities that kept him occupied for over an hour: Play-Doh and sensory bins styled after a construction site and a slimy ocean.

Their curiosity amazes me. The questions they come up with and their intense passion for reading documentary-style books, alongside the usual kid fare, are a constant source of joy.  We can’t check books out of the library fast enough. 

One of my colleagues is heading to Australia for a research trip, and he was talking about the country with them before he left. The next school day, one of my sons came to the car proudly holding a book about Australia from his school library. And we’ve been reading and learning about Australia ever since.

Fostering their curiosity and engaging in their interests is all the kindergarten-preparedness I think they need. Yes, they’ll be among the youngest in their class (they turn 5 just a week before classes begin). So, we’re also working on social skills – especially because they won’t have each other to rely on.

But, on the whole, my job this summer is to focus on confidence-building, on developing strong relationships between brothers and on having fun.

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