3 Ways to Prevent the Summer Slide

Ways to Prevent the Summer SlideThe school year is almost over, which is usually great news for kids. Parents and educators, though, might not be so thrilled. Many public-schooled and homeschooled children who return to school for the new year need weeks of reviewing the material they learned in the previous grade. Why? Because they’re suffering from the summer “slide”.

What is the summer “slide”? It’s the regression that kids often go through during the summer that causes them to forget a lot of the information they’ve learned the previous school year. Naturally, kids want to use their summer vacations to relax and have fun. But as parents, we can do a lot to help our kids get ready for the next grade, even during summer break.

Here are three ways to prevent the summer “slide” from affecting your kids!

3 Ways to Prevent the Summer Slide

1. Encourage daily reading.

Regular reading is a key way to help kids keep their thinking skills sharp over the summer. If you live in a town with a local library, ask about any summer reading programs and then participate with your kids!

If you don’t have a library reading program in your area, make your own! Set a goal for your kids to read a certain amount of books before their break ends and then give small rewards to encourage them along the way.

2. Make learning an adventure.

Plan some educational outings you can take with your kids over the summer. Naturally, places such as the zoo or the museum are educational, but you can even make amusement parks or water parks into opportunities for learning!

Get one of the park maps and bring it home with you. Have the kids practice graphing the number of water rides, kiddie rides, thrill rides, and eateries. Or you might pick a specific area of the park, especially one that has a theme such as the Wild West or Africa, and learn about that before you go.

3. Get an early start on the next grade.

Take a look at your school district’s objectives for the upcoming grade and start exploring them with your kids. If you have a child who’s going into second grade, then it’s a good time to introduce fractions and decimals.

If you have a budding high schooler, help him or her explore advanced library books and biology. Just remember to keep it relaxed and fun! This is summer break, after all. 🙂

Do you have any tips for helping kids avoid the summer “slide”? Share them in the comments!

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  1. Avatar Jennie

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