I’m going to share with you how to save your kids from the summer slide; without homework, assignments, or struggles with your child. Summer vacation should be fun! These ideas are exciting, educational, and sure to help your child from regressing this summer.
The Summer Slide up to TWO months worth of ‘Learning Loss’ that many children experience over the Summer Break
Should we be doing schoolwork all summer (please say no!)?
NO!
Everyone knows that summer break is a time to take a step back from the normal grind and relax. Which is definitely great and healthy. But is it a good thing to turn off our brains? Not so much for our kids (probably not us adults either. time for more Sudoku!). During the summer break, typically over two months of learned skills are forgotten. That means our six-year-old who just learned to read is now regressing to sounding out that word she had previously mastered. Just think of throwing away two months of progress at your job…how disastrous this would be!? The effects are much more profound at younger ages.
So how do we stop this? More importantly, how do we stop the summer regression and still have a fun, relaxed summer? That’s why you’re here, right?!
But I don’t want to “do school” with my kids during summer! That’s no fun!
I don’t want you to do that either. I want your kids to have an amazing break, full of adventure and family time. But I also want to give them a leg up when they start school this fall. I want them to excel and grow, and not waste months on review. Review is boring, and no one likes it…not even us teachers, believe it or not. We just know that it’s necessary. But what if it’s not necessary to do it for months? Can you imagine how many more fun projects we could do or new ground we could cover? That’s why this topic is so important to me as an educator: I want your kids to succeed. Just like you do. So, let’s figure this out together!
Here are 5 ways to prevent that summer slide:
1. Set up a ‘Reading Challenge’.
What is your kid into? Whether it’s sports, unicorns, Marvel movies, or Barbies; this will be your focus and motivator. Set up an age-appropriate goal (maybe it’s 50 books for your kindergartener or 100 for your 2nd grader; you decide) and make it fun. Design a chart, with them, using their theme, of course. Let your inner artist out and be creative with this! Perhaps the chart is stars because they’re really into space and the final stop is a planet…or the chart is lots of fairies in their magical world… or it could be a variety of food items on a restaurant map…you get the idea. Customize it to their interest and display it somewhere prominent in your home.
Then, go to the library or Amazon and find every book you can about that topic. Get a variety of book styles too. Pick up graphic novels, fiction, non-fiction, picture books, and even magazines or old newspapers. If you need some great book recommendations, check out the scholastic books list here. I also have found it helpful to encourage reluctant readers by letting them pick out a new bookmark, a reading light, or maybe a special reading pillow. Whatever it takes, right?
Now they’re ready to read. And read some more. Read to them if they can’t read on their own yet (this is just as important!). A 2019 study showed that kids who weren’t read to at home had more than a 1 million word gap in the number of words that they have heard before they enter school, as compared to kids that were read to daily at home (click here, if you want to geek out, and read the study I’m talking about on the Science Daily Website).
Make the challenge a daily part of your life and watch them grow in excitement as they reach their goal!
2. Use competition to your advantage.
Kids are naturally competitive. Some more than others, for sure; some can take a loss, and some might tip the whole table over if they lose Monopoly. I’ve been there (whether I was the one to tip the table over is to remain a mystery…). So, let’s use that. Grab a sibling, a cousin, or a friend, and set the stakes. Will the winner get their chores done for the day? Will they earn the movie pick for the night? It doesn’t have to be expensive or complicated. Maybe you get wild, and the winner gets to spray silly string over the other one?! Maybe it’s a backyard Movie with a bunch of their friends! Summer is a great time for parents to let loose and do things that normally aren’t allowed.
After the stakes are set, buy some (math, sight word, letter recognition, etc… flashcards, use free printables online (or make them yourself) and see who can get the most correct. You’ll just need to make sure it’s grade-level appropriate for each kid. Someone might be reviewing multiplication, and another kid needs sight word practice. If you’re unsure of what they need practice with, google their grade level or shoot me a message! Aim to do this every day for 10-15 minutes, and you’ll be on the right track to prevent that summer slide.
You will be amazed at what this simple, short review time can achieve for kids over their break!
3. Let your kid be an adult for a day.
Wait…what? This sounds a little scary, I know. But hang with me. School isn’t all about math facts and writing sentences. It’s also about responsibility, structure, and working together!
There are a lot of fun ways to teach your child these skills, but I really love this one. And I guarantee your kid will think it’s awesome.
As an “adult for a day”, tell your child they’ll need to set up a schedule for the family, plan the meals (and help prepare), make sure chores are done (delegate to others), and whatever else you usually do. Grab them a fun notebook, like this one, this one, or this one, for them to keep a list or schedule. You can make this really detailed and involved, or simple and use it merely as a creative writing practice activity. It depends on your family life and your child’s capabilities. But let me tell you…they are probably more capable than you think. When given more responsibility, they might just rise to the occasion!
This can be a fun activity for your whole family and teaches a lot of skills that your child needs to know. If you have a big family, rotate through your kids so they all get a chance to lead and be led (which might be the more difficult challenge!)
4. Bring out your inner Picasso; outside.
I get it, art is not for everyone. You don’t need to be an artist or even make a mess for this one. This is an outdoor activity and one you don’t need to spend a bucketload of cash at the art supply store on! Art is so great for our children’s brains. It helps link ideas together, strengthens hand muscles, and can lead to more brain development. Don’t skip this one! Get those neurons connecting and grow some brain!
For more thoughts on the “why” behind this, and a fun freebie, click here.
There are so many fun outdoor art activities; but here are a few simple but engaging ones:
-Shadow Drawings: take your favorite toys outside and trace their shadows with sidewalk chalk. See how big it can get with different placements. Practice writing what the object is next to it! Can they spell it by themselves? Can they make a rhyming word? How about writing the word backward?
– Nature Collage: gather the coolest sticks, prettiest flowers, and tiny pebbles and glue them on some old cardboard or scrap wood. Bonus-google the types of flowers or leaves to learn more! Have fun sorting your finds by size, texture, shape, or color.
– Squirt Gun Painting: grab a large piece of poster board and prop it up outside. Even an old sheet or cardboard box works. Fill up some old squirt guns with nontoxic paint. Go wild! Try making shapes or writing numbers with the squirt gun for some more learning. Have them mix colors to see what new shades they can discover.
5. Read and read some more.
Reading with your children is one of the best things your family can do to boost your child’s vocabulary and foster a love of reading, not to mention snuggle time!
I know this may sound a little repetitive. But I cannot stress enough the importance of reading with your children. It’s literally the biggest game changer for your kids.
For this one, I want you to be intentional about reading to your child before bed. Create a quiet space where they can enjoy the book, the snuggles, and the special time with you. Talking about the story together is a great way for them to learn vocabulary, reading comprehension, and listening skills. This time reading together is so important to their development and their learning. Oftentimes, reading at night will lead to great conversations or whispered fears they have. It may lead to laughing together or fantasizing about the story you just read together. It’s a great opportunity for you to grab onto while your child is growing so rapidly. Don’t miss it.
If this will be a new routine for your family, start a few times a week or every other day. Anything is better than not at all!
So now what? What will you do or change to save your kids from the summer slide?
Pick one, try it out, and let me know how it goes in the comments!
I’m rooting for you.
For some other fun summer ideas: 5 Cheap and Fun Activities to try
