As the school year winds down, the freedom of lazy summer days beckon. Weeks – perhaps months – on end to laze and play and generally take a break from the academic pressure of the school year. But a total break isn’t always appropriate for every child. For some kids, summer break can really mean a loss of progress on essential skills.
While many groan and moan at the prospect of “summer school” in whatever form it might take, keeping up or catching up during summer break can be essential to overall academic success. A common finding across numerous studies is that on average, students score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than they do at the beginning of summer and summer loss for all students is estimated to be equal to about 1 month but this varies—
That’s right. Research has shown that, on average, students lose the equivalent of one month of instruction time from the academic year preceding summer break. For some students, the loss may be even greater such as in mathematics. This phenomenon is sometimes referred to by educators as “the summer slide” and its effects are cumulative and long-lasting. Each year, students fall further and further behind on the knowledge base they should be developing as they progress through school.
But MOM (or DAD!), I’m BORED!
The first few days of summer vacation are all about freedom. Kids are delighted to shed the routines, stay up late, sleep in and get absolutely lazy. To combat summer the slide, parents can strike a balance between learning and fun, infusing summer lessons with informality and grabbing opportunities to teach where they can find them. The more it feels like schoolwork, the faster you lose them.
Here are 10 ideas to make learning “fun”:
1) Spend time together
The less-hectic days of summer provide the perfect opportunity to spend some one-on-one time with your kids. Let them take the lead and guide the activities at least once a week. As for you — you just go along for the ride.
2) Summer reading
Studies have shown that children who keep their minds engaged by reading during the summer months are better prepared when school resumes in the fall. Summer reading programs provide age-appropriate options for kids of every grade and helping those who aren’t naturally great readers to find the material that will make them want to pick up a book. Good news: there are summer reading programs available at about 280 public libraries across Tennessee. Your town library likely is offering a summer reading program and there probably is also a drop – in story time and literacy related crafts one or two afternoons a week. Ask the children’s librarian for a schedule of events.
3) Science, from nature to chemistry set
Families who spend quality summer time camping and hiking have abundant natural learning resources. If you’re traveling to another part of the country or the world for outdoor adventures, do some homework first with your kids about what you’re likely to see when you get there. If you’re closer to home, make it a big deal. Plan the field trip a few days in advance, and take along books about the natural flora and fauna, so your kids have a resource to learn more about the nature they’ve just met in person. Indoor science lessons (cleverly disguised as games or toys) may be just as valuable; teaching not only science concepts but also fostering skills kids will need when they head back to the classroom.
4) Meal planning and cooking
Teaching kids about meal planning can start with some grocery store circulars and asking the kids to help you spend the budget effectively. Build your menus around sale items, in-season fruits and vegetables, and family favorites. Have the kids calculate the cost per meal, or per person, then try to figure out if you can do better next week.
To enjoy the fruits of their culinary labors, kids must first master reading, measuring and following directions — lessons that are much easier to swallow when they come in the form of a tasty dish they’ve made themselves. If the experience still leaves you feeling that cooking is just work, well, at least you’re training someone else to someday take over in the kitchen.
5) Games
You might think that hours spent at the game console are anything but mindless wasted time, but some of the newer games actually get kids moving and may actually improve their ability to focus and learn new skills. In one summer school program, kids come in early to play Dance Dance Revolution or Guitar Hero. Games that engage the body while encouraging mental concentration not only help kids learn, they also prepare younger students to sit still for lessons later.
6) Build a blog
If you tell your kids to write an essay about their daily activities, you can be fairly certain they’ll balk at the idea. But if you set them up with a blog where they can upload photos, share their stories and get feedback from friends and relatives, well, that’s a whole different story. Set aside a few minutes to blog each day — during dinner prep, for example, or just before bed. Even if their spelling makes you cringe, their typing skills will improve, and far-flung family members will appreciate the updates.
7) Pick a project
It’s a parenting concept so basic that it’s novel: Ask your kids what they’d like to learn or do this summer; they might just surprise you. Tell them that they can pick one new skill to learn or one project to work on over the course of the summer. For example, maybe they’d like to learn to knit — or build a desk. Craft stores and home improvement warehouses offer many free and low-cost classes. Have a kid who wants to learn a new language? Order some flash cards and see if your library has free access to online courses.
8) Take a class
Sure, a class might sound kind of school-like, but it all depends on what you choose to study. A cake-baking class is hardly the same as one in trigonometry. Check your library and ask around to find free or inexpensive options, and let your kids make their own choices.
9) Start a book club
Together with a few friends, choose an age-appropriate book for your kids to read and discuss. Set the date of the meeting on your calendar, figure out how many pages to read each day to complete the book on time, and plan some related games, activities and food for the big meeting.
10) Set up an art studio; foster creative pursuits
Set up a place where your kids can go and create—for example, one parent set up an art room that has just about anything a budding artist needs to create his own unique works of art including one book titled “Leonardo DaVinci for Kids,” which includes stories about the artist, his life and work, as well as activities for children to help them absorb what they’re learning.
Research also shows that the biggest impact on student academic achievement is made when families engage in learning activities that reflect the work children do in school. The summer break is an excellent opportunity for parents to reinforce their children’s learning and help prepare them for the year ahead.
