The school year is winding down for millions of students across the country, and while most kids are thrilled to be getting a much needed break from studying, some parents are hoping that summer vacation doesn’t lead to brain drain.
Summer learning loss is nothing new; however, it is avoidable. While most parents think summer school is the key to keeping their kids at the head of the class, there are a slew of other activities that can help preserve lessons learned in the course of an academic year.
My daughter would rather give up TV and eat nothing but cauliflower for an entire year than attend summer school. Needless to say, enrolling her in a 10–week summer session is out of the question. However, that doesn’t mean she’ll be spending the summer sprawled out on the couch stuffing her face with chips and salsa. Instead, she’ll be exercising her brain by participating in a variety of fun, educational projects, including several literacy programs.
If you are on a budget, the public library is a prime spot for free summer learning opportunities. Our local library offers a ton of children’s programs that promote reading, such as daily story time, literacy challenges and writing workshops.
Even if you don’t live near a library you can still encourage your children to keep reading this summer by creating your own newspaper. Make learning fun by teaching your children the fundamentals of print journalism. They can take notes and snap photos of events unfolding in the neighborhood or in your own home, and then feature them in a homemade newspaper. Several websites, including Weebly, feature simple newspaper templates that kids can use to format their news stories.
Another way to keep kids excited about reading during the summer is to host fun projects. Have your child choose several books that are appropriate for his reading level, then set a minimum number of pages that must be read per week. Each time your child finishes a book, he can choose to complete an oral or written book report, draw a poster about his story or create his own mini novel. Or, simplify the process by awarding a sticker for each book your child reads. At the end of the summer, reward him with a prize, such as a trip to the amusement park or a new toy.
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