By Christian Yi
Summer vacation is a great time for many outside activities and sports but for young students the summer can become a black hole of learning loss. Many universities and learning institutions, and even the First Lady Michelle Obama, are actively trying to battle summer learning loss. Young people experience learning losses when they don’t engage in enough educational activities during the summer.
Numerous researches show students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of summer vacation. On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. That is almost one third of an entire school season!
How do you battle summer learning loss and get your student ready for the next grade level? It’s easy.
Continue learning throughout the summer. The brain, especially the youthful variety, requires daily exercises, much like a muscle, in order to stay healthy and strong. Parents and children can participate in a daily ritual of reading, writing, and mathematics. Consistent and continued talks to stimulate the child’s brain will be important to keep the brain fit.
Make everyday activities into learning experiences. Cooking, trips to the grocery store or farmers market, and walks become math opportunities. Museums, nature centers, and even your own backyard abound with science exploration. Libraries, thrift stores, and travel guides offer reading for all ages. Going on vacation? Turn this into a learning experience by involving kids in the planning (navigation, cultural research, and geography), budgeting (math and logical reasoning), and documenting (writing, arts, sequencing).
An alternative for the busy family could be hiring a tutoring company to work with your child. When hiring a tutoring company, parents should make sure the tutoring company has plenty of experience with summer learning loss and can provide a program of study that covers portions of the prior year’s school curriculum while preparing students for the new school year.
Studies have shown 1 to 1 tutoring is often the most effective tutoring solution. Make sure to find a company that provides safe, experienced tutors who tutor in a kid friendly environment like your home or the library.
Make summer a time of learning, not loss to keep your child on track for future success.
Christian Yi is the Executive Director at TutorFind. TutorFind Certified Tutors work in a one on one setting, creating a personalized program for each individual student. To find the perfect match for your child’s tutoring needs visit TutorFind.com or call 1-800-64-TUTOR.
Additional Resources:
What is summer learning loss?
Summer learning activities to enjoy with your kids:
http://www.scholastic.com/teachers/lesson-plan/your-summer-learning-ideas
Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) is the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States. We prepare and motivate children to readby delivering free books and literacy resources to those children and families who need them most.
The vision of the National Summer Learning Association is for every child to be safe, healthy, and engaged in learning during the summer. Tolearn more visit:
