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“No more pencils, no more
books” is a familiar summer refrain. But make sure your
youngster doesn’t take those words too seriously.
All students -- regardless
of socio-economic status -- lose approximately 2.6 months of
grade level equivalency in mathematical computation over
summer, according to a Johns Hopkins study. The study also
concluded that low-income students experience significant
losses in reading comprehension and word recognition while
on break.
This pattern of academic
regression has been dubbed “summer slump.” Fortunately --
for proactive parents -- these quick-and-easy tips can help
stem its tide.
Watch Your Language
You’ve probably admonished
your son or daughter with this phrase, but when it comes to
summer learning, take heed of it yourself. When kids are
enjoying vacation, they may not want to hear words like
“school,” “educational” or “assignment.” Try using words
like “exploration,” “adventure” and “discovery” instead.
Make Learning Fun
Remember when you had to
take a spoonful of cough medicine and your mom or dad would
let you wash it down with something sweet? For kids, summer
learning can be a bitter pill to swallow, but it tends to go
down more easily when paired with a fun activity.
The National Center for
Families Learning (NCFL), for instance, has created a
program called Camp Wonderopolis, a digital platform aiming
to harness the spirit of exploration and adventure captured
by traditional summer camps.
After registering at
www.Wonderopolis.org/camp, kids can wend their way through
six science-themed tracks and 42 individual lessons, all of
which can help combat the dreaded “summer slump.” For
parents who want to keep kids active during the summer
months, Camp Wonderopolis also features hands-on offline
activities.
“The key is to make
learning feel like an extension of their vacation,” says
NCFL Vice President Emily Kirkpatrick. “Camp Wonderopolis
seeks to tap into a child’s natural feelings of wonder and
curiosity, allowing learning to occur organically.”
Learn Together
Why should kids spend the
summer learning while mom and dad get off the hook? It’s
easier to get cooperation when learning is a shared
experience, so dust off some books you never got around to
reading and share them together.
Power of Choice
Oftentimes, kids rebel
against schoolwork simply because it’s obligatory. Their
teachers assign books to read and problems to solve without
their input, and set hard deadlines for when such work must
be completed. Put your child in the driver’s seat over
summer by letting them tell you what they’d like to learn.
Instead of mapping out a
strict plan, take a trip to the bookstore and let kids pick
out books. Many young people are invigorated by this sort of
freedom and may even choose something more challenging than
you would have selected.
There are plenty of
strategies that will keep your kids learning over summer.
Approach the subject tactfully and your youngster will have
a leg-up when it’s time to head back to school.
Courtesy StatePoint |
