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The temperature is rising, school is out of session and the kids are excited to ditch their backpacks and get back to having fun. For many parents, summer poses the age old question: Now that my children are home all day, what am I going to do with them? The summer slump–the learning loss that kids experience when they are out of school for an extended period of time, is also a big concern. Fortunately, there are many ways to prevent this from happening if you plan fun, hands-on activities throughout the summer months.
Learning loss is more likely to happen with math more than any other subject. Your child’s ability to interpret and calculate math problems is typically most affected with a loss in spelling coming in a close second during the summer. If you are struggling with what to do to prevent this, here are a few easy ways to engage them without the anticipated eye rolls.
1. Take an educational road trip.
Whether it’s a trip to the water park, a local exhibit or a fun day at the zoo, summer field trips open up a ton of activities that are tied to math, science and social studies. The car ride there also provides an opportunity to create an engaging experience for your kids.
2. Stock up on story books.
Generate excitement about reading by helping your child create a reading list at the beginning of the summer or ask for recommendations from your local librarian. If reading is a struggle for your child, take turns reading a story to each other and talk about the story to get them excited to finish the book the following day.
3. Connect in the kitchen.
Kids love to experiment with food. By inviting them to choose a favorite recipe and prepare it with you in the kitchen, they will learn science along with fine motor skills, math and direction following.
4. Let them play!
Children engaging in unstructured play over the summer months strengthen their language development, social and physical skills. They frequently set their own challenges, problem solve and learn from their experiences and mistakes. Let them express themselves through play and catch up on being a kid while they are out of school.
5. Enroll them in fun summer classes.
If your child is not going to camp this summer, they may enjoy taking a class that is focused on STEM-related activities. Sylvan’s EDGE classes provide children an advantage with hands-on, cutting edge classes that focus on programs like Robotics, Engineering, Coding and Math Edge. Best of all, they’re fun! Select the image below to get started with Sylvan!
