6 Ways to Help Your Kid Beat the Summer Slide

For kids, summer could be one of their happiest times. The weather is warm, the sun is shining, and there is no homework to complete or school to attend. You and your kids could be enjoying the vacation until it is time for the kids to go back to school. However, once school starts, chances are that you may notice your little one suffering from summer learning loss/ summer slide/summer slump.
 

What is a summer slide?

Once school starts, you might see your kids struggling to grasp some concepts. Perhaps they lost touch with some subjects over the holidays. Their academic progress might seem slower than before the long summer break. This learning loss the kids face once they return to school after a long break is known as a summer slump or slide. According to research, kids in America fall one month behind in math and reading skills over the summer holidays.¹

Though the summer slide might sound worrying, the good news is that parents can introduce some fun activities over the summer break to avoid this slump! We have some suggestions to help your kids beat the summer slide!

6 tips to help your kid beat the summer slide

1)Encourage kids to write letters or journals

Over the summer, if kids do not read or write for a long time, their language skills could suffer. Hence, encourage them to journal their everyday life and buy beautiful stationery, which could encourage them to write more. Try going old-school by motivating them to write letters to their friends, grandparents, or relatives during the summer vacation. By doing this, they master punctuation, grammar, vocabulary, and penmanship. 

2)Motivate kids to read consistently

You could instill summer reading habits in your kids by making it a fun activity. For instance, you could start reading them a  bedtime story but pause when it gets too interesting. Tell them you’d read them the remaining story the next day. This way, they will look forward to their reading time every day. You could also buy them illustrated books that they may enjoy more. It doesn’t matter if you are reading to them or if they are reading on their own; their vocabulary can grow as long as they are exposed to new words daily. 

3. Enroll kids in summer programs

Summer programs could help kids keep in touch with their academics. Summer classes are not an extension of the school’s regular classes. A good summer program is usually a mixture of learning and fun that also gives your little one an opportunity to socialize with other kids. So, search for good reading clubs, poetry clubs, or math clubs that could entertain them and build their academic skills.

4. Read a book and watch its corresponding movie

Read a book to kids, or encourage them to read on their own and discuss it in detail. Ask them questions, and encourage them to suggest alternate endings or plot twists. Kindle their imagination by discussing various aspects of the story. And once you are sure that they are captivated by the book, introduce them to the book’s movie adaptation. While kids watch the movie, they will be hearing out those words aloud, which were previously just confined to their imagination while reading the book. Listening to someone speak what they read aloud could improve their speaking patterns and pronunciation.

5. Introduce your kids to fun games and puzzles!

So far, we have talked about reading and writing, but let's not forget that math is equally important too. Find ways to incorporate math into kids’ lives in creative ways. You could have a game night with kids where you play math or logic-related games and puzzles. Another way to help kids master math is to have them tag along for grocery shopping. While shopping, you could ask them to calculate the total bill.

6. Take kids on outdoor adventures

Summer always gives kids the opportunity to enjoy a scavenger hunt. You can create a basic list of things for kids to find. Also, by encouraging them to utilize maps, you can elevate the learning that happens outside. Bring out those old paper maps and help kids understand how to calculate distance and follow directions. Remember to ask them to put their smartphones away.

While planning these exciting ways to help your kids prevent suffering from summer slides, remember that it's the summer holidays as well—A time for them to relax and play as much as possible. So, let them have a good time with their playmates. 

Source

1. The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (2020) What We Know About Summer Learning Loss: An Update. Psychology Today, July 6, 2020.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-living/202007/what-we-know-about-summer-learning-loss-update  

2. The Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research (2020) What We Know About Summer Learning Loss: An Update. Psychology Today, July 6, 2020.https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evidence-based-living/202007/what-we-know-about-summer-learning-loss-update