10 Tips to Fight Summer Learning Loss

Most students and parents would not take a three month break from their favorite sports.  If they did, they would not expect the student to perform at the same level as before. This is exactly what we expect students to do every year.  As Cherilyn Ashley, owner of the Tutoring Clubs of Northern Colorado states, “Teachers see this learning loss first hand every year after summer break.  Therefore, they must review the previous year’s material, which takes time away from the new curriculum. With this review time teachers must move faster throughout the rest of the year to cover the required material. This fast pace causes some students to be left behind.”  John Hopkins center for Summer learning reports that students can lose as much as two to three months of learning over the summer break. Here are ten tips from the Northern Colorado Tutoring Clubs to help prevent learning loss during the summer break.

1. As the parent, you’re in charge.   Summer is a time where students can relax, explore hobbies, and have fun.  It is okay to encourage kids to not spend their time in front of the television and video games.  Have them instead read, learn something new, keep up their math skills, and write in a journal.

1. Keep them learning.   Summer learning should be fun.  Have them explore new things and new learning discoveries which are not time-permissible during the school year.  These discoveries could bloom into a potential career path in the future.

1. Reading is essential.   The world is full of interesting stories.   One of the greatest things about summer is the ability for kids to be able to explore genres that they normally would not be able to read during the school year.  This time of year also allows kids to identify topics that they enjoy reading about.

1. Keep working those math skills.    It does not matter what time of the season it is, math is essential.  Every day kids encounter math without even knowing it, whether they’re at the grocery store, planning a vacation route, or tipping at a restaurant. Summer is also a great time to review multiplication and division tables, review past years’ work, and look ahead to the challenges of the up and coming year.

• Get exercise It may sound funny to promote exercise during the summer break.   In a kid’s culture dominated by video games, television and phones, many kids don’t get enough exercise during any given day.   Encouraging your child to be active, playing outdoors, and enjoying their time in the sun is essential (remember sunscreen).

1. Writing is necessary.   Many kids keep a summer journal when they are off of school.  How these journals are used is dependent on the child. Some document their vacations, growth of plants and rainfall, important events, favorite television show, movies or sporting events.   This is an important time to incorporate new words, focus on sentence structure, and improve penmanship.

1. Work on study skills habits for upcoming year.  Kids can use the summer break to shore up their study skills and prepare for middle school and high school by focusing on nonfiction passages at grade level, writing objective summaries, and looking up unfamiliar words.   Also, work on outlining and writing reports all which are essential skills for middle school through college.

1. Relax the school-year routines.  We are a big advocate for routines, especially during the school year. These routines help kids focus on homework, studying, getting plenty of sleep and family time.  During the summer, these routines can be relaxed, but insure students get enough sleep. As the school year approaches, slowly put your student back on their routine.

1. Learn about one’s family through get-togethers.  Kids love spending time with you and their family.  Make time in your schedule to allow them to embrace the history of your family.  Have your family members tell the story of their lives and their history. This oral history will be what they remember and can pass down to their kids.

• Attend the Tutoring Club.  At the Tutoring Club we know how to fight the dreaded Summer Learning Loss.  From early learning to college preparation, Tutoring Club provides the resources and opportunity for every student to become a confident, self-motivated learner for life.   Founded in 1991, Tutoring Club is an education center built on the idea of providing long-term, individualized academic assistance to students of all ages and abilities. If you need assistance, please give us a call at 1-888-to-tutor.