Summer Learning Loss and How to Help Prevent it.
If you are a parent, teacher, aunt, son, sibling, grandma, or pretty much anyone on this planet you have probably heard about summer learning loss. If you are one of the above and have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about just keep reading for a short and sweet explanation coming at 'ya! Summer is upon us and along with days filled with sunshine and laughter, and friends and family, and vacation and exploration comes the dreaded summer learning loss.
"Does that mean that my child will forget everything he learned during the year?" Lets not get ahead of ourselves here. Your child will not automatically erase his/her hard drive during summer, however, he/she might have a harder time going though the files in that brain to put together all of the information we ( as parents and teachers) have taught him/her. All children experience some type of leaning loss when they don't engage in educational activities during the summer months. It is said that students can forget between 2 and 3 months of academic knowledge during summer. "Lets not have summer then!" This is a terrible idea...if you want your child's teacher to not have a mental breakdown please don't take her summer break away from her/him. Student's also need a break from the routine and academics to unwind and recharge for the next school year. "Well... What other option do I have?" There is this magic poison... Haa! We wish everything was that easy right? Lets get serious (for a second). To avoid learning loss, students must engage in activities that activate their brain. It is recommended that students engage in learning activities throughout the summer months. Lets make some time for learning among all the summer fun. Side note- learning and active brain activities don't have to mean school-like day plans, we are looking to break from that during the summer months so we should take a different approach.
Set aside a specific time of the day your your students to read, take them to the library (amazing resource), and you can even have them write their own stories with unique illustrations.
Practice spelling, you could even turn it into a game or a friendly competition. Hint hint: get those letter magnets and put them on your fridge and around the house, ask your kids to spell the name of the foods they are eating. Teach them a 'word of the day' and ask them to use it in a sentence at least 4 times a day). Maybe dive into some poetry too?
Engage in brain games. I mean, this is easy peasy, if it has the word 'game' in it they will most likely gravitate to it. There are plenty of websites that can give you some ideas. There is even a tv show called brain games, I myself cant get enough of it.
Play outside, and practice some type of sport. Take them to the woods, lake, botanical garden etc. While you are there, ask them to count and collect as many different types of leaves and seeds they see, (then multiply it by your age, add two, remove 10, divide it by 5 and tah dah! you just practiced your math without realizing it!). Don't forget to take a sketch book and have them draw all these environments.
Last but not least, join a summer camp. Even if its a couple of hours a day, summer camps help students to stay engaged and active. Look for summer camps that meet your needs, the variety out there is great so there is plenty to choose from.
At Artis Studio art camp, students engage in a variety of art activities and work with different art mediums. Our main focus is to offer children a unique and nurturing experience and enriching children’s development, respecting their uniqueness and individuality, fostering their curiosity and exploration. Each week we will focus on a new theme to inspire our daily activities, from art to games to stories. Join us for Art Lessons, gallery tours, outside play, games, weekly art show, active brain activities, stories and more! Read more about it HERE.
