School’s out! Time to run off, make memories, and forget everything you learned this past year.
Wait….what?
7 Effective Ways to Avoid the Summer Slide:
Summertime is usually a time when kids break away from learning and embrace the freedom of vacation. Unfortunately, a multiple-month scholastic break can lead to achievement gaps, a regression in skills and proficiency, and a significant loss in knowledge. Studies have concluded that the break given to students over the summer has detrimental effects on math, reading, and spelling especially.
Here are 7 effective ways to avoid this summer slide…
1. PLAY BOARD GAMES
What better way to enjoy the summer months and squeeze out some learning than playing games?
Many studies have proven the positive effects on math comprehension after simple game play. Just be sure that children want to play and the game is fun.
Board games Motivation and enjoyment are the keys to learning through game play. Children will progress and learn skills as they are inspired to play and win. Many options for games exist today. Be sure to choose games on the child’s ability level and advance toward more difficult games as they are able.
Have the child keep score.
Math, literacy, spelling, and strategy games are beneficial for children. Games such as Quirkle, farkle, mancala, catan, rummy, monopoly, rummikub, yatzee, connect 4, and Ticket to Ride are good options. Homemade games, such as a matching game utilizing spelling and vocabulary words, can also be an engaging option.
2. REVIEW GRADE LEVEL MATH AND LITERACY SKILLS
This is not as simple as playing games, however, it’s necessary.
Each year, children learn specific math skills that get built upon year after year. Teachers often have to re-teach material to students before they can move on to more complex skills.
Some children come back to school having regressed enough to create an achievement gap. How can we avoid this? It’s simple. A couple hours a week of review of math skills can keep these skills sharp. I created grade level math and literacy pages for preschool to third grade. I use these with my own children. I simply print them off, put them in a binder, and ask my children to select one math page and one literacy page each day (3-4 days a week) through the summer months. This small commitment can make a BIG difference.
Here are some options.
3. DO ONLINE MATH GAMES
Studies show that online math games can have a positive impact on a child’s math achievement and test scores. The brainiacs over at Stanford agree. Even a little bit of video game play can improve math abilities.
When choosing a math game, be sure of these 3 things: the child enjoys it (if it is difficult or dull, it defeats the purpose), it is challenging but not overwhelming, and it is helpful to build math skills. As long as you can say check, check, and check to those 3 things, you are headed in positive direction.
4. READ
This is kind of a no-brainer.
Children need to read every day.
Yep. You know.
So let’s get to it.
Print off a chart, offer rewards, do what you have to do to get them reading. I created monthly differentiated reading logs with matching bookmarks if you want them! Click here.
The only stipulation to make this work is for them to read something they enjoy. Allow them to choose books they love. Even if the book is a grade level below, children are practicing fluency and flow by reading easy books.
Some fun ways to change it up:
- have children read to a sibling, a parent, or a stuffed animal
- have them record themselves reading
- make a youtube video of them reading aloud
- find the audiobook version and have them read aloud with it.
5. PROMOTE EXCITEMENT FOR PERSONAL LEARNING
Don’t you hate it when your child comes home from school and complains that it was boring? That word should be a curse word.
Well, now is your chance to make learning un-boring.
What would you learn if you could choose? Allow the child to choose what they want to learn about, then help them dive into this topic. Raid the shelf at the library, find a related club or camp, do a field trip, locate an expert the child can shadow, watch documentaries, take lessons, do experiments, and get out in nature.
Summer is the best time to hone-in on those skills that children want to learn so that we can raise them “in the way they should go.”
6. LISTEN TO READ-ALOUD OR AUDIOBOOKS
Parents seem to either love or hate reading to their children.
If you love it, do it a lot.
If you don’t love it, it’s a good thing someone else loved it enough to record it for you.
Read-aloud books and audiobooks stimulates vocabulary, language, and cognitive learning. Studies abound on how much children learn by being read to. They can actually learn more from a read-aloud then reading it on their own, mostly because read-aloud books can be a much higher reading level than their own.
Every child 4 and up can have an audiobook that they listen to. Some will love it more than reading on their own!
7. ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO NARRATE
I know, I know, I know.
When your child comes to you wanting to tell you a loooooong story about the imaginary world they created with stuffed animals, you often want to send them away.
The truth is, children NEED to be able to narrate, or retell. They have to be able to get their thoughts out of their mouths in a cohesive manner. This is the beginning of writing skills.
There I said it.
Shut your computer, put down your phone, and listen to your child.
Ask them questions.
Let them talk.
Then, encourage them to make a writing activity out of it (no spelling or grammar checks necessary.
Does your child struggle to retell? Ask them more questions about what they are playing or doing, have them retell a story you just read, or remind them of a past event and have them give you their version of it.
Retelling helps children form opinions, summarize, make inferences, gain perspective, and utilize the important skill of synthesis. Narration takes practice. Let your child practice, and at least pretend you enjoy it. 😉
–Melanie
