Many of you may think that the summer slide is not necessarily a big deal but if your child is already behind or struggling, the summer slide can have a huge negative impact on your child's future. Summer learning loss widens the achievement gap, and addressing the summer slide promotes Equity in Education. Both of which are extremely important things to focus on in our education system.
Below you will find some different activities that you can do this summer with or for your kids to prevent the summer slide. So read on and enjoy!
Activities to Prevent the Summer Slide
1. Participate in a Summer Reading Challenge
2. Embrace Family Time
3. Explore and Experience
4. Programs
5. Hobbies/Interests
1. Participate in a Summer Reading Challenge
Studies show that reading 6 books over the summer helps prevent the slide. Most kids don't like reading. The problem is not the reading, it's the content they are reading. Once you find something that really interests your child you will be able to get them to read with ease. Think about the things they like to do. Is it gaming? Is it drawing? Do they love sports? Are you not even sure what they are into? You can literally find books on anything! For instance, if they love playing games find books about the games they really like so they can learn more about it. Or maybe they would be interested in reading about how games are made. Or maybe they even would like a book with a storyline about a gamer. The options are endless you just have to have the patience to help them find the option that is right for them.
To track their summer reading success I have created a summer reading log available here!
2. Embrace Family Time
Spending quality time together as a family is one of the best ways to keep your kids on their toes and learning because let's face it, we are our child's best role model and teacher. Taking time to play board games, go camping, cooking together, planting a garden, reading a favorite story, and even just taking uninterrupted time to talk with each other are all fantastic ways to keep your child's mind engaged during the summer.
3. Explore and Experience
Taking the time to go out and try new things and create new experiences are always a great choice for sparking your child's imagination and their brain! Checking out the zoo, museums, different cultural events, and nature experiences are just a few ideas. If money is an issue you can even create scavenger hunts or explore things close to home. Sometimes getting creative is all you need.
4. Programs
Summer programs are always another good way to keep kids involved for the summer and is also another good avenue if you still have to work all summer long. Programs like summer camps, STEM programs, youth programs, and even local library programs are all options. If you are looking for some programs to get your kids involved in just check out your local library, churches, schools, and community partners.
5. Hobbies/Interests
All kids have hobbies and interests and with the right creativity you can make any hobby or interest a learning experience and possibly a career or skill for the future. Provide them the opportunity during the summer to hone a skill, to practice a craft, or learn something new. One great thing to have all kids do during the summer is to journal. This helps to keep up with their writing skills, allows them to be creative, and they can even document their summer or be given specific topics to write about. The options are endless.