Tips to Help Prevent the ‘Summer Slide’

Tips to Help Prevent the ‘Summer Slide’

As pleasant as it is for children to be home for the summer, the season typically presents more than a few challenges for parents, as moms and dads juggle vacation plans and additional childcare costs with personal and professional priorities. And then there’s the prospect of the “summer slide,” in which the lack of learning opportunities leads to a substantial regression in students’ skill levels before school resumes in the fall.

Decades of research confirms the slide’s impact on academic performance, with the latest data suggesting that as much as a month of school-year learning is lost over the summer. The good news is there are steps every parent can take to minimize this loss to ensure your student is prepared to succeed when the school bell rings this autumn.

Summer School Cool: Long gone is the stigma attached to summer school, that it is just for struggling students or those with behavior problems. Today, school districts across the country offer often-abbreviated summer sessions that enable students to keep their minds sharp and hang with their friends while not interfering with family vacation plans. There is in addition the benefit of potentially reducing your summer childcare costs.

Book Some Time At the Library: Summer means lots of down time for children and there is no better or more constructive way to fill it than with reading. In order to maximize this cost-free, horizon-expanding pursuit, make reading a part of daily life, whether you and your children are reading a recipe together as you bake cookies, reading aloud signs during a neighborhood walk or simply ending the day with a bedtime story. Visit the public library with your children often to select new books and access its range of fun summer reading programs.

Take My Word: Consistent vocabulary development strengthens student literacy and playing word games is among the most enjoyable ways to achieve that. Whether online or in print, crossword puzzles, word searches, Scrabble or any other games that challenge your child’s spelling skills will go a long way toward helping them avoid the summer slide.

Numbers Game: The latest data confirms that during the summer students’ most dramatic learning losses are in mathematical computation, which involves remembering facts and procedures. Online games and apps that require the use of addition, subtraction, multiplication, geometry, algebra and other kinds of mathematical problem-solving skills can help your child stay sharp.

Hit the Road: Travel has long been recognized as intellectually stimulating as it exposes us to people, language and cultures we have not previously experienced. For both parents and children, this exposure can lead to a greater appreciation for important human issues: How are all people alike? Where does a person fit in a larger global world? You can mirror this impact in your own travels by having children research the history and culture of your destination, even if it is just the evolution of the flora and fauna to be found at your favorite mountain lake. Closer to home, consider taking day trips to historic sites near you or visiting museums dedicated to the study of a particular region, industry or culture. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

At Harmony Communities, we feel strongly that each resident has a sense of home. That they come home from work and feel pride in their environment and in their place in the greater community. That families are comfortable raising children in our neighborhoods, and that couples and singles know that they belong to something bigger than their four walls. In other words, we seek to create harmony within each community, making our communities not just passable, but peaceful, safe, functional, and beautiful.