What many parents don’t know however, is that kids experience a phenomenon called “summer learning loss”. Children can lose a great deal of the knowledge built up over the past year in just a few summer months. In fact, studies show that kids lose an average of over two and a half months worth of math skills during the summer holidays. As learning occurs, the brain's synapses strengthen their connection in the areas of learning. When students stop exercising their brains, those synaptic connections start to loosen.
That's why teachers have to spend the first couple months of the school year just helping their students to catch up. For kids that were already struggling at math, this means that they will start off the next school year at an even bigger disadvantage. And it’s not just math. Overall, kids lose an average of one month's learning in other subjects during the summer. Think of athletes. Imagine if they stopped training for 2-3 months of the year. You would expect that when they return to training, they would experience a lag in performance. The brain is no different. It needs to be exercised.
In contrast, if your child works their language and/or math skills over the summer, they can actually make progress. When school starts, there will be a marked improvement in comparison to the rest of the class. What a confidence boost!
So how can you keep your kids learning over the summer? Here are a few ideas.
- Use educational workbooks. These are available at most bookstores, and are geared towards different grades. Have your child do an hour each day.
- Visit a library. Find some books with topics that interest your child so that they are really engaged in reading.
- Visit museums, zoos and historical sites. Help your child learn about history and the world they live in.
- Enroll in summer tutoring programs. For children that are struggling academically, summer can be the perfect time to address it with a customized tutoring program
These ideas will help your children build up more confidence, and prepare them to start the new school year with a bang.
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This article was submitted by Tutur Doctor Peru