The Summer Slide
10 Tips for Avoiding the Academic Summer Slide
Keep your kids out of the summer slump! Learn how the summer break can impact students' academic performance in the fall and what can be done to help avoid the "summer slide."
But we're beginning to learn the impact that distance learning had on students' academic skills, in addition to their mental health. Now that things are almost back to normal, it's important to make sure kids don't lose the gains they made returning to school this year.
There are a number of ways parents can keep their child's brains active throughout the summer.
View the video below to learn more!
Keep Them Reading
Studies show that kids can lose up to 25% of their reading skills over the summer months, which can have a big impact on their ability once they get back into school.
Scholastic Books cites research that shows reading just 6 books over the summer can greatly benefit kids.
One way to encourage this is to take regular trips to the library, and also participate in the library's summer reading program, which has shown to increase performance on achievement tests.
Other ways to incorporate reading into your daily routine include:
- Find something to read everyday--whether it be comics in the newspaper every morning, magazines, or online educational websites
- Find things your child wants to read. We read what we're interested in, so find reading material related to your child's likes and interests! Ask the local librarian for recommendations, our ELA teachers, browse Scholastic's website for best sellers, or visit Books-A-Million to view their summer reading recommendations.
- Read out loud. Have your child read a paragraph out loud to you, or read together at night. Try out a free trial of Audible, which has thousands of books and podcasts available in every genre imaginable for the whole family, or find stories and podcasts for free on Spotify or iTunes.
Don't Forget About Math!
There are many ways to stay engaged in math over the summer.
- Look for summer camps that focus on STEM
- Practice simple math skills such as balancing the monthly budget
- Find ways to add math to daily life, such as calculating the tip in a restaurant
- Play online games and practice skills through websites such as Khan Academy, Cool Math, Kahoot
Keep the Mind Engaged
Here is a list of recommendations:
Make Vacation Educational
Make road trips educational by limiting screen time in the car and instead play games such as Mad Libs, read comics or books, play card games or old fashioned road games such as the license plate game.
Take virtual field trips of locations around the world such as museums, the Great Barrier Reef, zoos, and national parks!
Get Creative!
One fun way to get excited about learning opportunities are subscription boxes! There are dozens of affordable subscription boxes that you can tailor to your child's interests. The majority of them come with promo codes to get your first box at a discounted rate. Who doesn't like receiving a fun package in the mail?? They come in a variety from cooking, to art, to STEM. Here's a link to the most popular of this year.