Are you worried about your children keeping up their academic skills this summer?  School is almost out, and our kids are counting the days until summer break. After the whirlwind of school, homework, and extra-curricular activities, they need and deserve a break to regroup. We at Tutoring For Success are in favor of breaks and leisure time. In fact, last month’s article offered strategies to improve grades while studying less. I am going to continue the “less is more” concept by offering strategies that not only prevent summer learning loss but efficiently help children with winning academic skills to come out ahead at the end of the summer.

1. Set Goals and Have a Plan

Early June is a great time to correspond with your child’s teachers to find out what they are doing well and what they can do to improve. Teachers have been working with your child all year and should be able to give you sound advice. Then set aside part of your summer schedule for specific tasks, such as mastering multiplication tables, increasing reading fluency, or nailing a 5-paragraph essay. By signing up for summer tutoring, your child can work towards goals with structured academic sessions that focus both on academic skills and your child’s interests. You can fit in sessions after camp and in between vacations, coordinating with your schedule.

2. Read for Pleasure

This is the best way to keep academic skills sharp. In school, good reading skills apply to every single subject, even math. Many school curricula no longer include reading whole books, however, reading whole books helps improve academic skills by enhancing vocabulary, attention spans, empathy, focus, critical thinking, and flexibility of viewpoints. The long hours of summer just beg for book reading. In addition to reading whole books, many other reading experiences are also valuable. To encourage your children,

• Make regular trips to the library or book store.
• Do not pressure your children to read “literature”, classics, or anything in particular. Encourage them to read whatever they want, including graphic novels, online articles, and short stories.
• Explore non-fiction books and articles that match your child’s interests and passions. Don’t worry if the books they choose are at an easy reading level.
• Encourage your child to follow a series or pick out a book by a favorite author and read it every day – outside, in the car, or wherever they are.
• Schedule Family Reading times.
• Listen to recorded books on road trips.

3. Fit in Teachable Moments to Improve Academic Skills in a Fun Way

• Practice mental math and math facts in the car, on line at the store, or while traveling. Try challenging mental math problems, like 979-654.
• Use math while following recipes.
• Use a map for a car trip instead of GPS.
• When your child expresses interest in something, discuss ways to explore it further.

4. Add Education to Screen Time

During the long hours of summer, it is tempting to be on screens all day. Parents can limit screen time and also collaborate with their children to add educational sites to screen time to improve academic skills. This can include practicing math problems, working on reading comprehension, or watching educational videos of interest on YouTube.

5. Visit Historic Sites

In Northern Virginia and Washington, DC, we are fortunate to have numerous nearby historic sites and museums that teach history and science in a fun way. Some favorites are the United States Capitol, George Washington’s Mt. Vernon, George Mason’s Gunston Hall, and the National Museum of American History. (Advanced online tickets may be required.) These trips are a great source of family bonding as well as educational opportunities.

Conclusion

The trick is to fit in education so seamlessly that it will improve academic skills but not seem at all like school. At the end of the day, you can start a conversation about a place you visited, a book you are reading, or something you learned during the day.

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