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Preventing summer brain drain for kids

As parents, we are all looking for ways to keep our kids busy this summer, but we have a few ways you can help stimulate their brains too! Child psychotherapist Dr. Erin Leonard explains the brain is similar to a muscle. She says it needs exercise to stay strong, and learning should be casual, interactive and fun in the summertime.

Dr. Leonard suggests these activities to prevent “brain drain” in your kiddos and help them have fun too!

1) Game Night: Scrabble, Monopoly, Yahtzee. Scrabble improves spelling, vocabulary, and creativity. Monopoly and Yahtzee practice math skills.

2) Lemonade Stand: Teach your child basic business principles, such as: supply and demand, fair pricing, marketing, sales, budgeting

3) Baking: reinforces following directions and practices measurement and fractions.

4) Educational Trips to museums, zoos, state parks, etc.

5) Cards : speed card games are great for quick thinking and calculating.

6) Cross word puzzles on a sat morning while having breakfast on the sun porch.

To learn more, visit www.drerinleonard.com.