Preventing Summer Slide

posted by Karen Quinn, The Testing Mom - June 14th, 2016

Summer is Here!

For most parents, the summer slide is the last thing on their mind when the weather finally turns warmer. The vast majority of parents are more focused on barbecues, vacations, and sleepaway camps than they are on the dangers of letting their kids’ minds take a break over the summer.

Summer Slide

Unfortunately, there is danger lurking around the corner. Once kids are finally done with their end-of-the-year tests and projects and the school bell rings for the last time, they’re immediately susceptible to what’s known as the “summer brain drain,” or “summer slide.” Often, kids don’t just put away their books at the end of the year – they also put away their brains, and spend the summer sitting in front of the TV or swiping mindlessly on their parents’ iPad.

What They Lose

Lots of parents joke about this phenomenon, but it’s no laughing matter. Research has shown that kids who aren’t involved in some kind of summer education backslide an average of 2.6 months in math and 2 months in reading. Worse, the learning loss that marks the summer slide is cumulative and can result in a 5th grader being as much as 2 and a half years behind their peers in reading and math.

Watch the video training below of our free webinar for how to avoid the summer slide!

What’s the Solution?

Fortunately, there is a solution. The best way to avoid the summer slide is to make sure that your kids are engaged in learning activities throughout the summer. But it doesn’t happen magically: you have to develop a plan, and you have to start now.

Make a list of activities you and your child can do together that will build their math and reading skills throughout the summer. Ideally, you want to spend at least half an hour per day working with your child on math and reading. Mix it up with different activities – read fiction and non-fiction books, play dominoes and board games, cook (measuring ingredients is great math practice), make up math word problems on the fly – anything and everything that helps your child keep the gains they made this school year! With a plan, and the will to execute it, your child will avoid the summer slide and come out ahead in the fall!