Prevent the Summer Slide!

Many students, especially those with learning disabilities, may find it challenging to maintain the information they have learned throughout the school year. This means that teachers must backtrack to re-cover material that was learned and forgotten from last year when students return to school after the summer break.

Without the routine of school, kids can do other things to keep their minds sharp over the summer.

Unfortunately, studies have shown that students that suffer from the Summer Slide every summer will be up to two years behind their peers by the sixth grade. However, students can do a few simple things to prevent the dreaded Summer Slide, and it only takes 2-3 hours a week.

The first and most important activity that students can do to avoid the Summer Slide is reading! Reading for 20-30 minutes a day, whether reading independently or being read aloud to, has been shown to increase literacy and mental stimulation in children, especially during the summer when they are not going to school.

TL&LC encourages students to keep their brains sharp by reading.

Visit a library, start a book club with your pre-teen or teenager, or choose one of your favorite books and share a chapter with them every night before bed. Another way to keep little minds awake during the summer is practicing sentences or creative writing activities. Have your child write and illustrate their own story, practice writing words with chalk on the sidewalk, or have older children keep a journal of all the fun things they are doing over the summer.

To promote math skills retention, have your child read numbers from signs while on a road trip, read clocks wherever you go, bake together and practice fractions and measuring, or have your child count your change when out shopping.

Try and incorporate math and reading skills into daily life.

The sooner students memorize various math and reading skills, the easier they become. Children can also use their summer vacation to learn a new skill like riding a bike, typing, shoe tying, or cursive. Any time spent learning is valuable; it will help them get ahead and be ready and excited to take on the new school year.

Along with students’ activities at home, The Literacy & Learning Center is an excellent resource for summer learning. TL&LC will be hosting two summer camps, Space Camp and Nature Camp, which will include themed interactive learning activities.

TL&LC will also be sending home summer learning kits, including information about accessing a free online Scholastic Summer Reading Program, bookmarks with information about Public Library Membership, a make-your-own book kit, and a summer reading challenge bucket list and bingo card.