TIPS FOR SUMMER LEARNING
Here’s some quick tips for Summer learning:
Read for 20 Minutes a Day
This can be done alone, or reading to your student! Spend time in real books that have real pages to turn and adventure to follow! Studies show that students who read for fun improve their test scores in every single subject area!
Get Outside and Play - no devices here!
Feel the grass, the warm sunshine, the wind across your face. Enjoy a picnic in the park, use the swings, build a fort…. There are so many things we can do “outside.” Did you know that playtime exercise can improve memory skills?
Use math every day - no matter how small!
Studies show that students can lose up to 40 or 50% of the math learning gains they had in the school year over the 2 months of summer! That makes for a pretty wobbly start when school begins again.
You can incorporate little bits of math in lots of ways: having your student make change for purchases, run their times tables once a week, any cooking or baking you do or working on a page from a math book. Help them make a budget if they have a summer job or play math games together — these will help keep those skills at the front of their minds.
Try Creative Writing
Students who write actually improve their reading skills! This can be accomplished with basic writing prompts, writing about family adventures or writing in a journal. Students who are reading books can write out simple summaries or even write a travel journal for any vacation trips you may be taking. Remember having a pen pal? That can also be a fun way to incorporate writing into your summer plans.
Keep a Reasonable Schedule
So many parents tell me they worry about “over scheduling” their students - especially during the school year. However, under scheduling is more common in the long awaited days of summer time and can have negative effects. Students do much better with routines and summer time is no exception. Keeping a similar wake time and eating time is a simple start. Of course - long summer days will always have some late nights and “all nighters!” Structured time might also include summer school, attending camp or volunteering somewhere.