Kids sometimes experience summer learning loss, often called “summer slide,” during the long break between academic school years. Without some form of intervention, they can lose weeks’ worth of reading, math, and other skills due to lack of practice.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to practice the previous school year’s skills at home and in the community. This allows students to start the school year ready to learn new skills instead of requiring a review of skills they lost.
Home-Based Learning
Reading daily is an easy way for families to prevent summer learning loss. Create opportunities for kids to read a variety of materials, such as books, comic books, ebooks, magazines, and informational online articles. Start a family book club or help your child organize their own with friends.
Try online resources like videos and worksheets for skills like math, science, and social sciences.
Literacy Programs
Many communities offer literacy programs during the summer. Your public library may host a summer reading program and incentivize reading with rewards, special events, and activities.
Tutoring centers are another great place to check for ongoing literacy-based activities during the summer. In fact, letting older students volunteer to tutor youngsters is an excellent way for both age groups to sharpen skills while fostering community engagement. You can also check with your child’s school board for suggestions in your area.
Cultural Enrichment Activities
Use local resources, such as public parks, zoos, aquariums, and museums, to create fun, interactive learning opportunities all summer. Check out the websites of these locations before planning a day trip, then come up with some ways to add value to the visit, such as shareable facts, a scavenger hunt, or a pop quiz with prizes.
Educational Camps
Check with local parks and your recreation department to see if special camps are offered during the summer. Day camps may cover topics like robotics, Lego engineering, nature experiences, and even crime scene investigation, among other offerings you might find. The American Camp Association makes it easy to find educational camps in your area with a searchable database that allows you to narrow down camps by geographical location and other options, such as academic focus.
No matter which methods your family chooses to combat summer slide, just remember to keep the focus on having fun together!
Leave a Reply