As the school year comes to a close, students are filled with joy since they can now sleep in late, relax, spend time with friends and family and of course say goodbye to homework and assignments . While students are indeed entitled to a break from school, parents should bear in mind that the long July/ August vacation can lead to a lazy brain making students forget what was learnt during the past term. This phenomenon is called the "Summer Slide" ( while I am aware that the Caribbean does not have a summer, the term is used since it is easier to say that the alternative "Vacation Learning Loss") In this installment of the Parent Room, we will be looking at what can be done to combat the dreaded “Summer Slide”.
1. Get help from the experts
· Hire a Private Tutor to assist your child with any area of difficulty they may have. The tutor can also prepare them for what will be covered in the upcoming school year.
· If you prefer more social interaction for your child, sign them up for Academic Camps, Arts and Music classes (which have been shown to enhance a child’s logical and mathematical skills) and other enrichment activities and classes offered by the school or community.
2. Make playtime educational
· Turn off the computer, television and game consoles and provide some good old fashioned educational toys, like Legos for younger kids and crossword puzzles, Sudoku and Rubik’s cube for older kids. These toys have long been known to stimulate imagination and develop analytical and organizational skills.
· Also, there are a variety of great educational toys, apps and games offering tablets and computer games that are educational but still very fun. For very young kids, babies and toddlers, check out the big line of Baby Einstein toys that help to stimulate young minds at an early age and facilitate education early on
3. Take Your Kids To The Supermarket
· Aside from the fact that it is fun to buy groceries, it can be a rewarding experience for your kids because it is a chance for them to revisit their math skills. Allow them to compute or estimate the total amount of items that you will buy. Do not forget to reward them if they get it right.
4. Take Your Kids To The Library At Least Once Per Week
· Make sure to encourage reading by bringing kids to the library and maybe joining a reading group. The NALIS Library is usually bursting with activity so be sure to check out what activities are on.
· At home, make sure to encourage your kids to read magazines and books so that they will learn something new. It is suggested to have them share what they have learned from the day’s reading experience, this supports reading comprehension, which is an essential part of learning.
5. Encourage A Summer Journal
· Unleash the writer in your child and buy them a journal. Encourage them to write about their summer experience each and every day.
6. Facilitate Human Connections
· Take your kids to the community park or to relatives to make them appreciate the fact that face to face encounter is still better than virtual connections. Also, encourage them to reduce the hours they spend in front of the computer.
These are just some of the recommended activities that you can choose from this July break. In lining up activities that will keep your kids’ minds active, make sure that they are fun-filled as well.
What are you doing to keep your kid’s minds active during the summer? We at Grade A Tutoring and Learning Centre will be having our annual Vacation classes at the centre. Our team of Private Tutors will also be available to do in- home tutoring. If you would like assistance don't hesitate to contact us at 324-5496 or via email at gradeatutoringcentre@gmail.com.