Summer is a great time to give children a break from their long school days – to have fun with friends and to rest. But, learning doesn’t have to stop. Do you know that most students lose about 2 months of grade-level equivalency in math over the summer because the learning isn’t embedded into their environment? The loss of reading ability also can occur if students aren’t reading books or listening to books read aloud.
Many kids experience what is called the “summer slide” during summer vacation, due to the lack of deliberate practice. The brain is a muscle and it operates similarly to the muscles in your body. After a long break from the gym, it’s hard to get motivated again; and when you do finally go back, you can’t run as fast, you don’t have as much stamina, and you can’t lift as much weight. The same thing happens to kids after a long break from using their minds. Their skills decrease, and they lose motivation.
When students return to school after taking a few months off, they spend time relearning material. What may seem like two months off, can easily slide into four months of progress that could have been made. Because children have more free time during the summer, it is a great opportunity for them to get ahead.
Continuing to practice academic skills year-round is recommended to keep skills sharp, making the transition back to school a smooth one. Reading books frequently is a wonderful summertime activity to prevent summer learning loss. It’s also very convenient because books can be read anywhere.
