Delight-directed learning involves helping your kids pursue whatever interests come naturally to them. If your kids have been longing to go to a health care camp, or dive into a new orchestra performance, that’s delight-directed learning, which occurs naturally. Often this is most evident in sports. Our family did summer swim team. Other families will really dive into music and art.
Some kids will do nothing but read books. I had a son who constantly had a book in front of him. A lot of kids will do volunteer work; they’re really into being a candy-striper at a hospital, and summer might be their only opportunity to do that. Others really love working with children, so they go from vacation bible school to vacation bible school helping out with different churches. Other kids will do the majority of their projects like scouting or 4H.
One way you can encourage delight-directed learning is to use summer as a gift-giving opportunity. You can give your children some gifts that will encourage their interests. For my son, this meant buying Teaching Company courses on economics or American government. For my other son, it meant different things, and for your children, it will mean different things as well. If you give gifts that encourage their interests, it can help them to feel like they’re taking a break. Sometimes just a break in the routine will help your kids feel like they are getting a breather from the hard-core academics. Even if it is still educational, they will be happier and more willing to participate if it is a subject that they feel passionately about.