Between the warm embrace of the summer sun and the freedom from school schedules, your child may be experiencing another common but less-ideal side effect of summer: the summer slide.
Working to sharpen academic skills over the summer may be the last thing on the summer bucket list, but it will set each child up for a smooth transition back to school.
Learning in Summer With Reading
Set aside 15-30 minutes of daily reading to improve your child’s reading proficiency. Incorporate visits to the public library into your summer schedule. They can even participate in summer reading groups.
Remember to mark it on your usual activities calendar. This visual cue can prevent reading time from being swallowed up by other activities. Parents can also read along with them and assist with tricky words.
Boost Reading and Spelling Skills
Teach your child about affixes, which are the prefixes and suffixes added to a root word. This helps improve reading and spelling skills in children of all grade levels. Make this educational task appealing by transforming it into a fun guessing game.
Create flashcards of affixes and their definitions, and have a blast guessing the meaning. This fun activity enhances their understanding of language structure. It can also be a great way to learn new vocabulary words.
Cultivate Math Skills
Tackling three math problems daily can prevent their arithmetic skills from rusting. Invest in a math workbook that is suitable for their academic level. Daily practice, even if it’s just a few problems, can help bridge any gaps in their knowledge.
Enhancing Reading Comprehension
A reading comprehension workbook helps ensure your child fully grasp what they’re reading. These workbooks contain self-quizzes and educational stories. Regular practice can improve their reading comprehension skills.
Grammar Skills Review and Advancement
Take advantage of the summer period to review the past grade level’s grammar concepts. This helps your child get a head start on the upcoming year’s syllabus. Weekly reviews or pre-learning a few lessons during the summer can go a long way.
The Joy of Creative Writing
Creative writing hones down your child’s written language skills over the summer. Assign them to write a creative paragraph each week about a chosen topic. This will not only engage them but also improve their writing prowess.
Use a thesaurus to replace common words with more exciting alternatives. It helps your child find words with similar meanings. This can make their writing more engaging while building their vocabulary.
Focusing on Specific Skills
Summer offers the time to address any subject weakness from the previous year. Setting aside 15 to 30 minutes daily for targeted practice.
You can use online resources and workbooks. If you want this to be a fun experience, try computer games. These strategies will reinforce and strengthen their academic skills.
Enhance School Skills With Picnics
Forget studying during summer; let your child plan a menu. They will select the picnic site and help with the cooking process. This active participation promotes their decision-making skills and offers various learning opportunities.
For instance, making a grocery list can enhance their reading and writing skill. Measuring ingredients can improve their math skills. This process is like being in summer school minus “the school.”
Nurturing Academic Skills Over Summer
Preparing for school means turning your child’s summer into a fun learning experience. Remember that the aim is to balance leisure and learning. This ensures your child’s academic skills shine bright during their vacation.
After all, keeping the light of learning burning is the key to long-term academic success. Interested in more ways to prevent summer learning loss? Come join us for more resources to promote your child’s growth and development.
