The term “Summer Slide” refers to this problem-students forgetting important learning they studied in the months before. Reading and math skills seem to suffer the most.
In the article, Slowing the Summer Slide, by Lorna Smith, she states: "In a comprehensive analysis published by the RAND Corporation, McCombs and colleagues (2011) note that elementary students' performance falls by about a month during the summer, but the decline is far worse for lower-income students."
What Can You Do to Help Your Child Over the Summer?
- Schedule time each day (20-30 minutes) working on reading, math and other subjects they have interest in.
- There are many resources online for your child to engage in and most are free.
- Don’t “hope” that your child will do these on their own...supervise their efforts and reward them at the end of the week.
- Get out and have fun with your children: museums, road trips, family game night, cooking and read together!
Ideas for Parents
- 10 Ways to Prevent the "Summer Slide"
- 7 Ways to Prevent Summer Learning Loss
- 12 Fun Ways to Help Prevent Summer Learning Loss
- Summer Slide and the Importance of Reading over the Summer
Websites & Resources For Educational Learning
- Reading Rockets
- 8 Resources to Prevent Summer Learning Loss
- Khan Academy-Free and offers “missions” for grade level learning
- Scholastic Summer Reading
- The 11 Best Educational Websites for Kids
- 20 Educational Websites for Kids That are Also Free
- 10 Best Educational Websites for Kids
- Appropriate for Middle School Aged Youth
- 100 Great Resources for Middle school Students
Language Learning
