Summer Engagement

‘Summer slide’ is the term used by teachers to refer to the natural regression that happens for kiddos over the long summer break as a result of not practicing their skills on a regular basis.  The first couple of weeks each fall are used to recuperate these lost academic skills.  COVID slide is the term being used by some educators to describe the regression from the year of the pandemic which resulted in inconsistent educational models or decreased rigor due to limited abilities to push and support students during this time and continues to impact many students today.  As we enter the time where these two slides collide, here are some ideas to keep your kids well practiced during the summer break.

  1. READ, READ, READ: Reading can take many forms.  This may be you reading to your child, your child reading to you, one child reading to another, your child reading to your pet, listening to audiobooks etc.  The recommendation, based on research, is that reading happens daily for a minimum of 20 minutes per day.  While your schedule may not allow this to happen everyday, and you may want to read for a total of 2+ hours per week, the daily exposure and practice really has an amplified effect on progress.  So, carve out 20 minutes at bedtime or after dinner every night and stick to it.

  2. Discuss EVERYTHING: Watch movies, read books, read the newspaper and magazines, listen to audiobooks in the car.  Discuss all of these things with your kids.  Ask what their favorite part was.  Ask who their favorite character was. Ask if they liked it or not.  Most importantly, follow it up with why.  Push your kids to back up their opinions with reasoning.

  3. Engage in healthy debate:  As children get older, it will be in their nature to argue. Capitalize on this.  Asking your children to prove a point to you or to convince you of something is a great opportunity to build resilience, respectful discourse, and critical thinking.  You can do this over dinner, in the car, or while walking the dog.  There are so many things happening that require critical consideration, the topic possibilities are endless.  

  4. Open a bank account:  If you have the means to do so, AND your child is old enough, get your child a bank account and pay them small amounts for chores or gifts, and allow them to spend this money as they see fit.  For younger kiddos, this just keeps the adding and subtracting sharp.  For older kiddos, this is an opportunity to explore positive and negative numbers, percentages, etc.

  5. Play board games: There are many board games that can help to keep reading and math skills sharp such as Allowance, Blokus, Bananagrams, Mad Libs, just to name a few.  While there are also a plethora of online games available, remember that our kids spent a lot of school time on screens in recent years, and it may benefit them to have some time off screen too.

Sarah Covey