Five Ways to Avoid the Summer Slide
Many studies have shown that kids lose a couple of months of schooling during long summer breaks because they do not practice their newly acquired skills as much or at all. This phenomenon, known as the “summer slide” or “summer fade”, can be buffered by sprinkling in relevant mental stimulation with a few tips and suggestions from Cristina Hartman at MindCraft Makerspace:
- Make their needs their wants: I like leaving craft materials, interesting articles, and books in conspicuous places so the kids can “find” them. Most of the time, kids gravitate towards these “new” items and become engaged in a book or fun craft. By subtly suggesting the idea, you can even do the same with fruits, veggies, and healthy snacks.
- Let them build something with a purpose: As with any arts and crafts project, you do not need to break the bank. Younger kids can build birdhouses or doll houses using resources they find in their backyard or from a local discount store, while older kids can build robots or learn to code and create ‘worlds’ in their favorite online games. Have them start with a goal or idea in mind so it doesn’t turn into a mindless activity.
- Make your destination a project: If you have travel plans, have your kids do some research and create a diorama, a video, a podcast or a piece of art on something interesting about your destination. You can do this for any age and about any destination, including local outings, like the zoo or a road trip to a mountain town. These projects become a great family bonding and learning time.
- Enroll them in both physical activities and mentally stimulating summer camps: The social interaction, the change in environment, and the physical/mental stimulation are extremely beneficial to allow your child to use their brain, learn something new and make new friends while breaking up the monotony and giving everyone a respite.
- Stick to a schedule: I like to create a schedule with reading, writing and math games at the center of it. A sample schedule could include at least 20 minutes of reading every other day, math facts once or twice a week, watching an educational program and discussing learnings at dinner, and writing a short poem or letters to family members once every couple of weeks.
Tracking and creating a small rewards system attached to these tips are a great way to quantify progress and increase engagement with your kids this summer. Drop by MindCraft Makerspace and meet Cristina and her team for more suggestions for keeping your kiddos engaged and entertained this summer.
