Summer brings a much needed break for students everywhere. However, that does not mean that learning should stop just because the sun is out.
Every year students achieve great gains in their academic pursuits, and every summer many students lose ground on those accomplishments.
From departing from a regimented schedule to shoving the books away beneath their beds, summer oftentimes becomes a learning dead zone.
In order to make sure your student doesn’t lose ground over the summer months, there are several simple ways to keep them learning and still enjoy the summer break.
Prevent Learning Loss With Summer Tutoring
Here are some of the main cause and solution to prevent learning loss with summer tutoring.
Sleepy Time
One of the biggest struggles with summer is the breaking away from a healthy school day schedule. While sleeping in a little bit is okay, sleeping away the day can present problems when school arrives again in the fall.
Make sure to keep your students on a healthy waking and sleeping schedule so as not to alter their internal clock too dramatically during the summer months.
While this may be more of an issue with adolescents, both young children and teens alike can benefit from healthy schedules.
Altering it too much can lead to fatigue and restlessness when the new school year sets in.
Keep Reading
School books may have been joyously tossed aside when that last school bell rang, but that doesn’t mean that books in general should take a backseat in the summer time.
Most local libraries offer summer reading programs to help keep kids on track. Check out your local library’s website or drop in as the summer begins to see if there are age appropriate reading programs to fit your student’s interests and needs.
Setting goals and healthy rewards for reading are both great ways of getting more books in their hands. For younger students, try picking a theme that might match their interests, a location, or a time period.
Book series with multiple volumes are also a great way to keep a student actively engaged. Consult with a librarian for a series that your student would enjoy.
For older students there are a few great ways to approach a summer of reading. There are several resources for lists of classic books that students should read.
This will not only help them for the day when college hits, but a well-rounded and well read student often has an increased vocabulary and critical thinking skills that are essential for test taking and college success.
If those classics aren’t speaking to your student, then try sharing a reading list with your student. Perhaps some best-selling summer reading might be a better pace for them.
Regardless of the books they choose, the point is that they are reading and keeping their minds active.
For students that have been falling behind in reading, summer can be a great time to seek out a private tutor and get your student on the right track.
Having a tutor may not only help your student get on track, but also get ahead of the next year’s subjects. Our professional tutors at Chicago Academic can work with your child to improve their reading comprehension skills with low stress, in-home sessions.
Opportunities Around Every Corner
For young students, the lag in math skills that occurs over the summer is sometimes shocking. Simple concepts often disappear from a student’s brain with every sunny summer day. Look for opportunities to challenge your student’s brain.
Whether they are calculating a tip at a restaurant or helping measure ingredients for a recipe, there are a plethora of opportunities to allow your student to step in and take the math reigns.
For students that require a bit more challenging fare of math lessons, there are several summer workbooks that can be purchased on Amazon or at your local bookstore.
One page every other day can keep your student’s math skills sharp and ready to begin school again.
We know that not every student is successful with math during the school year. That is why using the summer to catch up is a great idea.
Our tutors can work weekly with your student to improve their math skills and catch up before the next school year offers up even more challenging curriculum.
Every year students spend nine months in the classroom and three months trying to forget the classroom. For parents, these three months away offer an opportunity to keep the learning going while still allowing for a much needed break.
Simple additions to a schedule with books and math problems will not only help a student catch up, but will also allow for students to hold on to all of that amazing information they worked so hard to collect during the school year. Adding learning to a summer can be easy and fun.
