Summer Learning Loss

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - May 24th, 2014

Many parents write in to us asking about the summer learning loss. This phenomenon, also called the summer slide or summer slump, is a real and detrimental problem for kids across the country.

The summer learning loss can be detrimental to even the smartest students. On average, students lose 3 months of progress that they made during the school year – and this decline is worse for math than it is for reading. This means that even the smartest students can essentially wipe out their hard-earned gains between May and September – and start the school year at parity with, or even behind, their average peers.

This summer learning loss can be countered easily. In fact, it’s even fun to work with your child on a regular basis to counter the learning loss! By working with your child for just 20-30 minutes every day, you can have them come out ahead when school starts, ensuring that they start the year with a strong advantage over their peers.

The summer is meant to be a break from the hustle and bustle of the school year, and there’s no need to make the summer feel like “more of the same.” To the contrary, now is the time to make learning both fun and concrete for your child. In the car, ask your child to count the number of colors they see in a 5-minute period. At the grocery store, have your child separate out fruits from vegetables. When camping or lounging in a hotel, have your child tell you a story – this is a great way for them to flex their creativity muscles.

It’s also a good idea to work with online programs that help counter the summer learning loss. Programs like Study Island, Tynker, Mathletics, and others can help your child not just keep up this summer – but get ahead!