It’s that time of year when we suddenly have those sunny evenings that quickly lead into summer! Summer is an ideal time for supporting kids’ individual interests and needs, but can also lead to summer brain drain.
Outside of the classroom, they are free to learn and play in summer camps, explore outside, and develop academic skills that require extra support. We are especially lucky to live in an area where there are an abundance of summer learning activities.
Unfortunately, many kids end up losing ground over the summer without the consistent reinforcement of classroom practice. A recent Brookings research review found that summer learning loss “wastes” much of the knowledge students have worked hard to gain during the school year. Some studies show kids lose as much as two to three months of math and reading skills by the end of summer.
Avoid Summer Brain Drain
Avoiding summer brain drain does not need to be stressful. Learning can be mixed into playing board games, planning a vacation together, or cooking meals. With the flexibility to choose high-interest reading material, kids can find books from the library about topics they enjoy, try out some graphic novels, and read magazine and news articles. Older students can develop their executive function skills and explore their interests through summer jobs or volunteer opportunities.
Strengthen Math and Reading Skills
In order to maintain and strengthen specific math and reading skills, researchers recommend offering evidence-based instruction with hands-on and engaging activities throughout the summer. This is exactly what we aim to do at The Family & Learning Center as we plan individualized sessions for each student who spends part of her summer here.
In addition to reading and math support, we also offer perceptual reasoning training, standardized test prep, writing development, study skills instruction, and back to school prep. To gather more information or register for summer sessions, please click here for our summer learning program page.