Summer break may seem like it flies by, but those two months away from the classroom can hurt your child’s learning progress. The time off can lead to learning loss, meaning they spend much of August September simply getting back up to speed. Make sure this infamous “summer slide” doesn’t happen to your child with these simple tips!
Make reading a year-round habit
One of the easiest and ways to prevent summer slide is by focusing on literacy. Reading skills are tied to so many other critical thinking skills, and regular reading has a slew of benefits.
Make it a routine to read every evening before bed (during the school year and in the summer) and make sure you have a library card for your local library. Many local libraries have summer reading programs where kids can earn prizes for reading, so check with your library to see what fun programming they have planned.
Ask your child’s teacher for summer recommendations
Many teachers already send home summer packets with activities for students to complete over the summer. If your child’s teacher doesn’t already do this, ask them for recommendations in the last few weeks of school. They might be able to send home leveled readers, math packets, or suggestions of fun websites that they have used in the classroom.
Make tech time educational
There are lots of educational websites and TV shows out there where kids are able to have fun and learn! Take advantage of the technology you already have and make sure time is set aside for learning. Just make sure you’re keeping your kid safe and establishing positive digital habits they navigate technology.
Plan periodic summer “field trips”
Critical thinking skills are best applied in the real world. Your child can stretch their learning by spending more time in their local community. When you take the time to schedule summer “field trips” it provides your child with an opportunity to explore new places, ask new questions, and learn new concepts.
A summer field trip is a great chance to enjoy the places your child didn’t make it to during the school year. Hit your local museums (many are free or have discounted days) and let your child guide his or her own learning. Focus on your child’s interests so they have as much fun as they can while learning lots of content in the process!
Write letters to encourage literacy skills
A great way to escape the heat and maintain writing skills is to write letters to important people in your child’s life. Make it fun for them by buying stickers and fancy markers. They could write to a grandparent, a friend, a coach, even the teacher from the previous year. If you don’t have the person’s address, your child can hand-deliver the letter. These are meaningful gifts for adults and fun ways to work writing into the summer!
Solve real-world math problems
Math practice doesn’t have to be pages and pages of a boring workbook. There are many different ways to work math into every-day life.
For example, when you’re at the grocery store your child can calculate how much the groceries will cost. Or you can ask them to add the apples and bananas in the cart to find the total number of fruits. Give comparison problems like “How many more oranges than tomatoes do we have?” and ask them to round money to the nearest dollar. This will help them practice their skills and see that math isn’t just a classroom activity; it is essential for the real world as well.
Avoiding learning loss over the summer is as easy as working with your child to read every day, make real-world connections to learning, and get savvy with tech time. This will allow you to enjoy the summer and make sure your child is ready for the school year ahead!
