Summer Slide or Summer Soar?

Students forget an average of two months’ worth of learning during the summer vacation unless they have regular reviews of their knowledge and skills.  Since the losses are cumulative, by the end of sixth grade, children who lose reading skills during the summer can be about two years behind their peers because solid reading and writing skills are required to succeed in all subjects.  

When they return to school in the fall, students are presented with new material, making the summer loss even more difficult to regain. Not only have students forgotten knowledge and skills, they often have forgotten how to study as well.  Fortunately it doesn’t have to be that way.  Your student can soar instead of slide!     

During summer there is time to review, not only to reinforce learning, but also to identify portions of a curriculum that the student might have missed.  There is time to re-teach so that the student can catch up. There are usually gaps in prior learning, material not fully understood the first time it was presented, perhaps resulting in a “D” test grade.  Then the class would have moved on to a different subject or on to build upon that material, leaving the student even more bewildered.  

Lear Educational Center is here to teach your student what might have been missed, to reinforce prior learning and to help advance your student.   

Much can be done at home help the student retain knowledge and skills during the summer vacation. 

Set aside a regular time each day and arrange for a special study area where supplies are convenient and distractions are at a minimum. 

Help the child make a list of learning goals for the day, for the week if it won’t be overwhelming.  As your child sees his progress, he will feel a sense of accomplishment.    

Visit the library. Students should have books on their favorite subject and at the appropriate reading level.  Encourage the student to read portions of the book aloud and to talk about what he has read in his own words so that you can monitor his comprehension. Reward him with praise for each book completed.  

Writing and reading, basic skills for all learning, are interconnected and children are less likely to write during the summer than they are to read.  Encourage your student to write short notes if he is very young or, if older, to write about books he has read, to keep a journal, to write about family trips or a favorite subject. 

Maintain math skills in daily activities as much as possible. You could routinely asking ‘how many are there?’ and ‘how many would we have?’ or ask the student for help with calculating miles to travel, speed, arrival time for a family trip, depending on the child’s grade level. 

A feeling of accomplishment and of readiness to return to school in the fall will make your student’s vacation time rewarding as well as fun. We’re here to help!