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Have you heard of the “Summer Slide”? This represents the summer learning loss. It's important to remember that the skills our children are learning in school are still being developed, therefore they need consistent practice- even if it's just a little bit each day.
Whilst it is necessary for children to have a much needed break, it is also important to maintain key skills so that the start of school in September doesn't seem such an uphill challenge... for the children and their teachers!
Let's think about it. Skills that are learned need to be practised to ensure ongoing proficiency. An example of this is that if you learn an instrument, but stop practising for a few months, your skills will of course decline.
So what can we do to prevent this summer learning loss from happening?
How to Prevent the Summer Slide
1. FLASHCARDS
Set a timer for 5-10 minutes and go through flashcards. There are so many to choose from. Younger children can benefit from flashcards with letters, animals, shapes, colours and numbers. Older children can do addition, subtraction, division, multiplication, patterns, time, money, etc.
2. HANDWRITING PRACTICE
Children don’t have too many chances to write over the summer and their handwriting can get a little messy without practice. Write a summer holiday journal to encourage them to write about key events.
3. READING
Try to keep children excited about reading by visiting the local library or completing a summer reading challenge.
4. CREATIVE TIME
This could be colouring, building, crafts, playing with playdough, art or anything that gets their imaginations going.
5. COOKING
Find a time to let children get more involved with planning meals, food shopping, following recipes and cooking. These are great learning opportunities for Maths (Money, Measurement) and English (Instructions).
6. TIME MANAGEMENT
Here are some ideas to keep children learning these important time management skills:
Use timers.
Create a daily routine for the family including setting chores.
Help them to learn good screen time habits.