/Vocabulary

Start Here: Intro to Puku Summer Program

Eight themed weeks of words, book recommendations, and activities

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Puku Summer Program

Summer is a time for relaxing and play after working hard all year. But many children lose as much as one month of academic progress during the summer months. So we here at Merriam-Webster wanted to provide structure and play to word learning with great book recommendations and other fun activities for kids 8-12.

Themed Weeks

Each week's theme is packed with vocabulary-learning opportunities.

Vocabulary Activities: There are many opportunities to teach and improve vocabulary through summer activities. We'll walk you through a few each week. Some activities are meant to be done with you and your child together and some can be done on their own.

Book Recommendations: It's not surprising that we enjoy reading here at Merriam-Webster (parents should check out our Summer Recommendations) but it's also a great opportunity to learn and practice new vocabulary. Each book selection matches the week's theme and comes with our hearty recommendation. We'll provide you help with the toughest vocabulary in each book--practicing these lists will improve comprehension and vocabulary.

Themed Vocabulary Lists: Age-appropriate words kids are likely to encounter while engaged with summer fun.

Puku App: All vocabulary lists (themed and book-related) are available in our fun, vocabulary teaching app Puku. Puku is not required for any of the activities, but we believe playing Puku for a few minutes a day is a great way to beat that summer slump and improve vocabulary. Please note that although Puku is a free download, it requires a subscription to use all of the features.

We'll be updating our Puku Summer Camp page every Monday for the next eight weeks!

Check out a sneak peek of the weeks to come below:

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We're excited to have you join us!

Practice these words and more with Puku, the award-winning app for kids ages 8-12. Make your own vocab lists to line up with tests and curriculum - subscribe now!

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