The human brain is like a muscle – it needs regular exercise to stay in shape. So when those lazy summer days come around, we need to make sure our kids don’t forget much of what they have learned over the preceding 10 months.
Studies Show
All students experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer.
On average, students lose approximately 2-3 months (don’t throw decimals at moms) of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills during the summer months.
Teachers typically spend between 4-6 weeks re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer.
What Parents Can Do
It doesn’t take much. Kids learn best in bite-size chunks. “Little and often” is the best approach. Here are some ideas to keep their brains ticking over:
- The best approach is to keep them progressing from where they left off at the end of the school year. With appropriate resources there’s no reason kids can’t explore new materials and stay on track come September.
- Spend time with books. Your local library will most likely be running a summer reading program. Our local library encourages kids to read every day and reward them with stickers and a medal at the end of the eight weeks.
- Talk with your current teacher about learning gaps. Perhaps your child is having difficulty with their vocabulary or reading comprehension, or with their math facts or telling time? Summer is a great time to fill that gap. There are lots of great exercise books and resources online for parents to use, and of course there’s K5 Learning. Your teacher may have some suggestions.
- Keep math in mind. For some reason, math learning is one that we need to pay special attention to and the area that needs regular practice. You’ll need to plan for regular daily math activities – be they worksheets, online programs or other math activities (some community centers have great math summer workshops).
- Reward them with summer camps that focus on the subjects they love. Now these can get costly, but most community and youth centers run cost-effective programs that focus on everything from robotics to creative writing.
Your kids don't have to spend the summer stuck in reverse. A little effort every day will help your kids exercise their brains and stay on top for the next academic year.
