During the summer, parents must find ways to keep their school-aged kids busy. While school-aged children need some stimulation and entertainment, summertime can leave a lasting mark on their education. Summer slide, summer setback, and brain drain are all names for the same problem: lack of involvement and stimulation. Regardless of the cause, there are ways to fight summer learning loss. Read on to learn more about how you can keep your students engaged in learning over the summer.
Lessons learned during the school year
Studies show that when students leave school for the summer, they lose about one to two months of learning. While math and reading learning gains are greater, students may lose nearly an entire year’s worth of learning in these two subjects. Fortunately, there are steps teachers and parents can take to help combat summer learning loss. First, students should continue to build on lessons learned during the school year. In one study, students lost nearly six weeks of content from the previous school year.
Educators and parents can take steps to prevent summer learning loss by engaging students in fun activities over the summer. Although this may require a significant amount of effort, it can help prevent the summer slide from affecting children’s knowledge. Whether you’re teaching your child at home or putting them into summer camps, engaging in fun, hands-on learning can help fight summer learning loss.
Ways to prevent summer learning loss
During the summer, students tend to regress on important skills they’ve developed throughout the school year. To prevent summer learning loss, parents can implement a variety of strategies. Besides setting a goal for each child to read for fifteen to thirty minutes per day, students can keep track of how many books they’ve read. Creating a family book club, taking your child to the library, and joining a summer reading group can help kids keep their minds sharp.
Whether it’s reading for pleasure or taking a class, it’s important to keep your children’s education in perspective. Summer is a great time to read challenging books that don’t need to be completed in the school year. Children also benefit from reading for leisure. You should ensure that your children read books they’re interested in, but choose books that are not assigned to them during the school year. Keeping track of their reading progress can prevent summer learning loss by boosting their confidence and lowering their stress levels.
Ways to keep students engaged in learning during the summer
Students can stay engaged in learning during the summer by making the most of opportunities that they have. Students are increasingly distracted by social media and dog barking in the background. Incorporating physical activities into the curriculum can help students stay focused. You can hold outdoor lectures or have students measure square footage in the classroom. Whether you’re teaching math or science, you can make math fun and engaging by including games that will keep students interested and motivated.
When students begin the summer, they want to be free from the daily grind of school. Most students want to hang out with friends and family. Unfortunately, many administrators see an increase in behavior issues during these final months of the school year. Absenteeism, decreasing focus on grades, and other distractions may affect student performance. However, it’s possible to keep students engaged during the summer break by keeping a positive attitude. For example, rearranging desks in a U shape will encourage student collaboration and interaction. Students can be placed in pairs or groups of four to help each other.
Strategies for preventing summer learning loss in low-income students
According to a new study, summer learning loss varies widely from child to child and by grade level and socioeconomic status. In fact, while children from all classes and socioeconomic levels lose approximately one month of learning over the summer, students from lower-income families lose nearly three months of grade-level equivalency over the summer months. Nonetheless, despite these significant differences, students in both groups improve in school year-round performance.
One effective strategy for preventing summer learning loss is to engage parents. By working with them before the end of the school year, educators can suggest concepts to parents for their children. These do not require students to sit down and do hours of review, but they can provide a summer-learning resource for parents that can be useful for their kids. While preventing summer learning loss in low-income students is not possible for all students, it is vitally important to find out what your child needs to keep them on track.
