How is it already summer break? Didn't school just start? The school year seems like it drags on yet is over in the blink of an eye!
I get asked a ton what to do over the summer by friends, family, and parents, so here goes!
The summer slide is a phrase used to describe the loss of learning that happens over the summer. Think of it like your kiddo is at the top of the slide and at the end of summer they are at the bottom. I've lived this every year of my 12 year teaching career. It doesn't happen with every kid, but to those who don't pick up a book or even see a book during the summer. If you don't use it (skills you learn) you loose it! I also see it happen with skills that have been practiced but not mastered. However, here's the beauty of the slide analogy - there are stairs to get back to the top of the slide! It's not like these kids will never get back to where they were, it's just that it takes a bit of time. But, if you are reading this then you probably want to prevent that. You can ever up your kid's skills over the summer and it's easier than you think.
Almost enough yapping ... I honestly believe that parents are kids most important teacher. As a parent that is a hard pill to swallow because then we think we get blamed for our kids not learning but it's not like that. There is no blame game in a good education. Kids ARE going to struggle and that's ok. Parents are going to struggle and that's ok. If we (parents) just know how to support our kids in learning then our kids will excel! As a teacher I get a child for a year (or two if I am lucky enough to loop) and I can make a ton of progress in that time but as a parent I get my child for a lifetime!
On to what to do to prevent the summer slide and even get your kid to academically grow over the summer:
1 - READ - I say this to ever parent every year - the most important thing you can do to support your child's learning is to read to them/with them EVERY SINGLE DAY. Seriously, it's that easy! Read, read, READ! This develops vocabulary, fluency, comprehension, and promotes a love of reading. My one year old sitting on my lap while I read him a book is teaching him so much but the most important thing is that it is developing a love of reading and learning.
If you have a beginning or struggling reader I LOVE BOB books - they are great with phonics and are easy to see where to progress to next - start with set 1 then move on to set 2, 3, 4, 5 etc. You can usually find them at a local bookstore but I also love the Costco version because they are bigger. Check your local library too before you purchase! For a beginning reader it is hard to choose books because the leveling varies widely but BOB books do a great job sequencing their books for the reader's success.
2 - PLAY - what? Play? I thought we were talking about how to keep your kid learning over the summer ... focus Sarah, focus! Let me let you in on a not so secret ... play is the work of the child - play IS learning! This book - Play and The Power of Play are on my to read list but I've read Purposeful Play and it's eye opening! The more open ended the play is the longer it will last and the deeper the benefits. Plus play is fun and summer should be fun! Sneaking in learning while having fun is a win win!
3 - Pick something to focus on - one academic skill. Maybe your kid struggled with 2 digit addition or subtraction with borrowing (that is hard!) or maybe your kiddo has not mastered their math facts. Maybe their handwriting needs work (this is my lefty!) or they are having trouble remembering the states or maybe they are struggling with phonics. Whatever they struggled with the most - work on it over the summer. Not the hard core study session right before a test kind of work on it either. 15 minutes a day should be good - you want small chunks of time that are going to add up to big progress. If your struggles with 15 minutes cut it to 10 or 5 - the important thing is a little bit of time each day adds up to a lot of learning over the whole summer. Just as important as progress is the confidence boost they will get when they go back to school and are better at something they struggled with. You can google worksheets for the skill you are working on or look on Teacher Pay Teachers or Amazon - there are so many workbooks out there! You can also try Khan academy or a whiteboard and pens.
If you don't know what to work on or your kiddo didn't struggle with anything but you still want something for them to do then try the summer bridge books, they are great! Click the grade your child will be in NEXT year (in the Fall) for the book to buy this summer - Kinder, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, 5th grade, 6th grade, 7th grade, 8th grade. What's great about the workbooks is that it is 15 minutes a day - that's perfect to keep skills sharp but still have time for fun and less structured learning.
4 - Pick something non academic to focus on. Let me be very clear here - by non academic I do not mean they will not learn from it - they will! I mean cooking, sewing, woodwork, chess, any instrument, gardening, origami, really anything that they love! Maybe they could try one recipe a week this summer and by fall you'll have a kid who can cook or bake better that many adults! Buy this book or this book and work your way through it - so much fun and such a huge life skill! Let them pick something they love and support and encourage them to practice often.
5 - Get outside and explore! Bike around your neighborhood, take a walk down the road or hike up a mountain. Stay close to home or explore far away - getting outside and off a device is always a good idea!
6 - Limit screen time. I know, it's hard - I have 3 kids! But, when your child (or you) have a screen in front of them it's not just what they are seeing on the screen that is bad for them (there are some great things about screens too) but it's the ball they are not kicking, the cloud they are not looking at, and even the boredom they are not feeling ... limit the screens and let them create some entertainment! Don't eliminate it (unless of course you want to) just limit it.
7 - Listen to audio books - I know, I just said limit screen time - but audio books are amazing and perfect for summer road trips! Plus, your kid isn't really on a screen just listening to one! Similar to the benefits of reading aloud to children, listening to an audio book builds many skills - vocabulary, models fluency, comprehension (especially if you talk with them about the book), and a love of literature! We LOVE audio books for car rides or cleaning.
8 - Family game night! I love board games for kids! In fact, I used board games for my whole math instruction when I taught transitional Kinder! I did Math groups and a small group of kids and I played a game while the other kids were playing other centers. We played the same game every day for a week or more. It is a fun way to learn Math skills!
Some of my favorites for little ones are:
Count Your Chickens - yes, I love chickens but this game tricks the players into counting twice a turn ... this helped the kids in my class that struggled with counting objects. It's cooperative too, so you all win or you all lose.
UNO - colors, number recognition and matching all in one game! My daughter beats us pretty much every time we play.
Race to the Treasure - the builds a path to the treasure (a cooperative game) and the players have to get there before the ogres do. It's really good for spatial thinking which is such a hard concept for some. The best part of cooperative games is the adult can share their thinking as they play. "I am going to put this path here because we could go up to get the key or down to get the treasure." It helps kids know what the adult is thinking and think a little more critically also.
I could go on and on about games we love, but that is a different post. Playing any game is great!
9 - Get a pen pal - How fun would it be for your kid to get and send mail! Writing in context is the best way to improve it. Bonus points if it is an older person to model correct letter writing! (It is the skill that is important here - don't pick the oldest person you know, let your kiddo pick an adult to write to) An alternative would be a mommy and me or daddy and me journal - grab a regular notebook and write a letter to your child and stick it under their pillow - when they write back they can stick it under your pillow and it goes back and forth.
10 - Check out your local library - They usually do a summer reading program and have fun events planned for the summer. Ours has a weekly program set up where the kids can go and learn about animals. My kids love animals! While you are there, check out some books and see #1 - reading really is the most important thing you can do with your child.
Simple and doable - my kind of summer learning!
Happy summer! Let us know if you have any tips in the comments!
