Expert Tips to Avoid the Summer Slide (Prevent Summer Learning Loss)
During the summer break your child may fall into the summer slide. What is summer slide? It is summer learning loss in children while they are away from school.
Between school years, children tend to lose some of the knowledge they acquired during their previous 9 months at school. Summer learning loss can impact your child when they go back to school, so educate yourself on how to prevent the summer slide.
Prevent the Summer Slide for Your Children
Over the summer, kids can experience a summer slump. But we all want our kids to stay educated, even in the summer.
Don’t let your kids lose what they learned during the school year!
Check out these tips from experts to prevent summer learning loss. The Family Conservancy, a LOCAL organization working to empower KC families for a successful future, provided tips for helping your family prevent the Summer Slide.
If you are looking for other ways to promote education & learning at home explore 14 learning websites for kids. You can also check out our summer camps guide to find educational camps for the end of summer or the Family Conservancy’s tips on choosing the correct child care. They even have back-to-school tips to help you stay involved in your child’s education!
What is Summer Slide?
With students taking a break from school to enjoy summer vacation, it’s essential for parents to be aware of a phenomenon known as the “summer slide.” No, it’s not the polished metal slides that get dangerously hot in the summer sun, although, you should be aware of those too.
Summer slide refers to the learning loss that can occur during the summer months.
A 2016 study of the issue concluded, on average, students lose between 25% and 30% of the previous year’s academic gains during summer break. That’s a huge summer learning loss.
You Can Reduce Summer Learning Loss
How to reduce summer learning loss in your kids.
Summer learning loss highlights the importance of parents being their child’s most important teachers.
You were your child’s first teacher — teaching them to walk and talk and interact with the world around them.
While you have valuable allies in your child’s classroom teacher or child care provider, your role as their teacher is not over, especially when teachers are on summer vacation.
While the idea of your child losing nearly 1/3 of what they learned during the previous school year is upsetting, don’t worry.
Use these simple tips to prevent that loss.
1. Read Every Day
Reading with your child every day, and encouraging them to read on their own when they’re old enough, is one of the best things you can do to improve your child’s literacy skills. This will help prepare them for success in school and life.
Ways to Encourage Reading during Summer Break:
- Enroll in a summer reading program or other educational activities at your local library or create your own program with time set aside each day for reading.
- Kids are much more likely to get excited about reading when the reading aligns with their interests. As you spend time together, keep tabs on what your child is interested in. Did they really like the polar bear at the zoo? Did you have to drag them out of the ancient artifacts exhibit at The Nelson-Atkins Museum? Next time you visit the library, find books about the topics of interest.
** Summer reading programs are a GREAT way to get your child reading too….check out MCPL’s summer reading program!
2. Explore Your Community and Beyond
Summer offers an abundance of opportunities to expand your child’s world by exploring the Kansas City area and beyond. There are tons of educational summer events & activities around town.
If you need ideas for simple family day trips, check out the 56 Incredible Field Trip Ideas In and Around Kansas City.
Ways to Make the Most of Trips and Vacations:
- Exploration is about asking questions and finding answers. If you’re exploring a familiar place, be a tour guide and teacher, if not, ask questions and find answers together.
- Research before you travel. You can find destinations and attractions your kids will be interested in or ways to bring things they’ve studied in school to life. Also, explore things you’re excited about too, and use the opportunity to introduce them to your interests.
- Give your undivided attention. Your child will likely remember these trips for the rest of their life, live in the moment and make happy memories.
3. Teach Social and Relationship Skills
Quality education is much more than learning reading, writing, and math equations. Children need to learn about trust, honesty, and healthy relationships. Summer break offers many opportunities to make new friends and strengthen existing relationships with family and friends.
- Introduce your child to different cultures, and help them explore their own identity and family history.
- Encourage your child to join a team or club. This is a great way for them to engage with peers in shared interests. Don’t forget, adults aren’t a child’s only teachers.
The classroom isn’t the only place learning happens. With schools closed for summer break, the world becomes your child’s classroom. Help them make the most of it by taking advantage of summer’s many exciting adventures.
Brought to you by The Family Conservancy
Helping Children & Strengthening Families since 1880.
Searching for new daycare, child care, or child care resources? Here are tips for choosing the right childcare services! They also wrote a guide to create your family’s emergency action plan.
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From our family to yours, iFamilyKC.
