How many of you have mixed feelings about the summer break like me? It’s a time for our kids to bask in the sun and hang out with their friends. But we also need to make sure they avoid the summer slide – and I’m not talking about the kind at the community pool.
The average student loses about two months of reading skills and two-and-half months of math skills during the summer. That’s scary enough. But considering recent test scores that show the coronavirus pandemic drastically set back students nationwide, helping our kids avoid summer learning loss has never been more important.
As a mom of two students – first and second graders – I know it can be challenging to keep kids focused on learning year-round. The key is to keep it fun, especially when it comes to digital learning. The Achievery, created by AT&T, is a free, online learning tool that engages students K-12 through fun and entertaining learning resources.
According to a Morning Consult survey, parents and teachers believe that one of students’ biggest frustrations with online learning is the lack of exciting and entertaining content. Nearly 80% of both parents and teachers think that their kids or students would be more interested in learning tools that include popular entertainment.
The Achievery accomplishes this by pairing content from popular, well-loved movies, TV shows and cartoons with age appropriate, standards-aligned learning activities from more than a dozen leading educational organizations. These include Learn Fresh, NROC, Young Storytellers, Scratch, Weird Enough Productions and Boddle, just to name a few.
For example, both my 6- and 8-year-olds, who are big basketball fans, love the Learn Fresh lessons that use examples from the NBA to teach math. As a parent, what I like most about The Achievery is it’s a safe place for my kids to learn online. I don’t have to worry about ads or inappropriate material popping up.
The Achievery offers lessons in Spanish and English that focus on reading, writing, STEM, digital arts, social emotional learning and digital literacy. And we continue to grow our library of activities with 150+ new learning units just added.
We also make The Achievery available at our Connected Learning Centers across the country as part of our companywide $2 billion, 3-year commitment to help bridge the digital divide.
Parents, teachers and students ages 13 and older can create a free account at TheAchievery.com or download the app on iTunes or Google Play. For learners under 13, parents can create sub-accounts.
Here’s to a less stressful summer for parents with learning made fun, safe and free for our kids!
