The summer season is fast approaching and your child is going up a grade and moving on to the next level, which means more homework and more responsibilities. But your child is most likely not thinking about that. They’re thinking about what they’re going to do (or not do) for the next three school-free months!
As a parent, you’ve probably got a mixed bag of emotions come June—you’re proud that they made it through another year of learning and adversity, excited they can unwind a little before they take on the next chapter of their academic life, and probably a bit uneasy because:
- What are you going to do with these bored kids when you’re at work!? …and…
- You’re wondering how they’re going to fare the next school year, especially if you are worried about ‘summer slide’ or the summer learning gap.
What is ‘Summer Slide’?
“Summer Slide is what happens when the skills students learn during the school year are lost or forgotten over the summer. When kids don’t practice their reading skills during the summer months, they can fall behind by the time school starts again.” (Children’s Literacy Initiative)
This is often referred to reading skills, but summer slide can affect any skill-set if it’s not practiced and put into use. Help your kids build and tone their learning muscles this summer and don’t let them suffer from summer slide.
Here are a few ways to keep your child engaged in academics through the summer. But note, there have been studies by PsychologyToday.com that claim, “… math calculations decline but math reasoning increases over summer.”
It’s a mix of school and real-life applications that maximizes a student’s learning output. It’s about balance. Don’t bury your kids in studies all summer, but also don’t let them forget what they learned because it will make the start of fall even more difficult in what’s generally considered a stressful situation.
Workbooks and kids’ confidence
As a child, my mom always gave me workbooks two grade levels ahead of me to complete during summer and school months. Me being the weirdo I was raised to be, I loved it and was always excited to raise my hand in class to answer a question I learned two years prior. As a result, my confidence was pretty high and it continued to fuel my passion to learn—I loved being called “the smart kid.”
Office Depot has tons of great resources to help your student avoid the summer slide. Not sure where to start? Check out their STEAM learning products and tips.
Jason Eisenberg is the Community Program Manager for Office Depot. Office Depot is a Proud National Sponsor of National PTA. National PTA does not endorse any commercial entity, product or service.
