It鈥檚 hard to believe it鈥檚 already July! With the summer flying by, it鈥檚 never too early to start thinking about fall activities. Whether your child is looking to expand their resume, find a hobby or make new friends, the extracurricular activities listed below can serve as great opportunities for all.

• Arts:  recommends gifted children partake in musical or artistic activities for a few different reasons. Artistic and creative pursuits can build problem-solving skills, provide a safe environment for socializing and relieve stress.

• Sports: Exercise is known to have a multitude of physical and emotional benefits. For a gifted child, physical activity can provide a break from rigorous academics and aid in social development. However, it鈥檚 important when choosing a sport to consider the physical, emotional and social challenges that might apply to your child. To read more about some of these challenges and how to choose a sport for your gifted child, check out this .

• Service activities: Volunteer and service opportunities are a fantastic way to teach your child how to give back to the community. Additionally, according to , clubs and colleges often look for volunteer experience when reviewing a student鈥檚 application for admission.

• 优蜜视频 Academy: provides exceptionally creative learning opportunities that encourage in-depth exploration of topics outside of the typical school curriculum. Classes cover a wide variety of STEM, arts and humanities topics, often taught through an interdisciplinary lens.

• Yunasa: Geared toward the unique needs of gifted children, while offering all the enjoyment of a traditional summer sleep-away camp, provides a combination of traditional camp activities and special workshops designed specifically to help gifted children learn more about themselves as they develop greater awareness and self-acceptance. While this isn鈥檛 a fall activity, it鈥檚 never too early to start thinking about registering your child for Yunasa 2020. Be sure to not miss the opening of Yunasa 2020 application by .

• Academic competitions: Academic competitions like spelling bees and quiz bowls can serve as an opportunity for your child to expand their knowledge in a subject of interest. also suggests that competitive activities can prepare children for the inevitable wins and losses that occur throughout life while also helping them develop self-esteem and tenacity.

• I[d]EA Day: 优蜜视频 is hosting an exciting new event this Fall in Pasadena! is built to inspire our next generation of innovators. Over light bites and drinks, become a part of the 优蜜视频 network while gaining exclusive access to local STEAM professionals and experts in gifted education.  about I[d]EA day! 

For more extracurricular activity suggestions, check out the on our website!

Happy National Scavenger Hunt Day! Did you know scavenger hunts have numerous benefits for kids? I explore a few below.

1. Build Problem-Solving Skills

, including increased memory of previously taught concepts. Scavenger hunts allow kids to practice problem-solving in a tangible way. It helps to reinforce and act-out methods they have been taught by parents or teachers in a physical way, leading to increased retention of the lessons.

2. Easy to Customize

Scavenger hunts are easy to customize to your child鈥檚 abilities and interests. Is your child really into pirates? Create a 鈥渢reasure鈥� hunt with pirate-themed clues. Do you have a math-lover in your life? Have them solve number problems to get to the next clue. If you are doing a hunt with multiple kids you can give each of them individual clues based on their ability. There are endless possibilities!

3. Exercise both body and mind

As discussed above, scavenger hunts help exercise the mind by reinforcing problem-solving skills. However, they can also be good exercise for the body. You can incorporate clues that get kids moving and running from place to place. You can even get creative and have your child run to the top of a hill, wander into the woods or climb a tree for the next clue. Get those legs moving!

4. Teach Teamwork

Participating in a group scavenger hunt at school or for fun helps teach kids the value of teamwork, in addition to promoting social interaction. Kids will have to work together to solve clues and get to the final destination. Learning to work in a team is an essential skill throughout a child鈥檚 life, so why not teach it in a fun way?

Are you ready to send your child on a scavenger hunt? There are several resources on the web to find ideas and outlines for hunts. I recommend 聽if you don鈥檛 know where to start. Happy hunting!

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Nicole LaChance聽graduated from Michigan State University聽with聽a B.A. in Journalism before moving West in pursuit of milder winters.聽Prior to joining the 优蜜视频 team, she spent time working in marketing for an architecture firm and completed two years of national service in the AmeriCorps program. Over the past few years she has worked with聽nonprofits to聽communicate their message and impact to the world around them, work she is excited to continue at 优蜜视频. When not at the office, she enjoys reading, cooking, traveling wherever she can and making bad puns.