It’s hard to believe that summer is here. It has been quite a year or two since this pandemic started. While we got through the school year, many parents are even more concerned about their children falling behind academically, especially when it comes to the inevitable “summer slide.”
What is a “summer slide”? It is when the academic skills that kids have learned throughout the school year start to decline. So how do you prevent this and maybe get a leg up for the upcoming Autumn term? Here are some tips:
Read every day!
Reading every day can help your child prepare for the following school year. Now is the time to find books on subjects and genres that your child enjoys. Discover what they are into and enjoy. You can find reading in all sorts of forms. Whether it’s comic style books, magazines, novels, picture books or the cereal box – it all counts! Sign up for summer reading programs at your local library. They usually have terrific contests that help encourage reading.
Keep on learning. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you have to stop learning entirely. But now, have your child decide what they learn and know more about. Let them explore, experiment and research something that they want a better understanding of. You may find that they discover a new passion!
Go out and explore. Pretend that you are tourists visiting the area you live in. Go out and see the historical sites, parks, art or science museums.
Many of these places are free (except where there’s a special exhibition). So see what you can discover on your doorstep!
Chores are life skills learning. Chores are a great way to teach children responsibility, but it is also a great way to teach young ones math, matching, and even time management. Kids can learn how to sort the washing, put matching socks together, clean up after themselves. It helps them learn to be more independent, which is a great skill to have for school. Learning how to cook is also a great way to learn math as well. Involve your kids with your day-to-day activities. You will be surprised at how helpful they are, how much they know and even appreciate being a team player in the family.
Set aside some time to work on a school review. Reviewing what your child has learned this year is another excellent way to prevent a summer slide. There are a lot of great workbooks by year group available on Amazon or free worksheets online. Make it part of their morning routine or a must-do before they hop on their devices.
Signup for fun subscription boxes. Want another great and unique way to learn? There are some fantastic subscription boxes out there that inspire the love of learning, creativity, and discovery. Check out Kiwico.com, littlepassports.com, and Bitsbox.com. All US-based offering UK delivery. Not only do kids love getting something in the post every month, but these boxes have also put together unique projects to learn from.