6 Easy Tips to Prevent the Summer Slide

Students, parents, and teachers are all familiar with the summer slide. While relaxing and having fun over summer, it’s easy for students to forget many of the lessons they absorbed during the school year. Fortunately, there are quite a few effective strategies that can help prevent this.

1. Keep Kids Reading During the Summer

Reading is fundamental to the learning process. Students who get into the habit of reading consistently are able to absorb knowledge in countless subjects. By introducing interesting reading material to children, they will appreciate that it can be fun to read, even when it’s not for a class. Research shows that reading at least 20 minutes every day has a noticeable impact on academic performance.  The Scholastic Summer Reading Program provides helpful ideas to guide young readers and keep them on track.

Our online library, Sora, is available to all students over the summer and can be connected to local libraries. Students that complete the tracker over the summer can be entered into a drawing for BlueSky prizes.

Parents can also guide their kids independently by introducing them to books, perhaps ones that were their own favorites. It’s also useful to practice reading material other than books, such as newspapers, magazines, and how-to instructions such as directions, recipes, and instruction manuals. Another resource you should not overlook is your local library, which may have its own summer reading program.

2. Take Part in the Summer Math Challenge

Students lose math as well as reading ability when they are out of school for any length of time. In fact, research reveals that students are more likely to fall behind in math than in reading, as they aren’t inclined to use it outside the classroom. Over the last couple of years, many schools were closed due to the pandemic, making it even easier for students to fall behind in difficult subjects.

To help prevent students from losing ground, it’s important that they get to practice math during the summer months. Parents who have forgotten their own math lessons may feel challenged when it comes to helping their children in this area. One solution is to participate in the Quantile Summer Math Challenge, a free six-week math program covering skills taught in grades 1 to 8. Daily activities are designed to be enjoyable as well as educational. Lessons are aligned with the grade level and abilities of each child.

3. Explore Cultural Resources in Your Area

Some of the most enriching learning opportunities are found by exploring your own area. It’s important to experience the world around you as well as study books. Many cities offer cultural and outdoor programs over the summer that are fun and educational. This may include parks, museums, zoos, aquariums, botanical gardens, and more. In addition to organized programs, it’s always interesting to take day or weekend trips to these destinations around your city.

If you live in the Twin Cities, the smART Pass is available to all metro public library users. This pass provides free admission to many events. Participating organizations include museums, theaters, and orchestras, including Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, TU Dance, Second Act Players, MIA, Firefighters Hall & Museum, American Swedish Institute, and more.

4. Gamify Learning

Today’s children are growing up in a digital, interactive world. They are very comfortable using the latest apps and games on their devices. You can take advantage of this by presenting them with high-tech learning tools. Parents, teachers, and other caregivers can make the most of technology by encouraging kids to use educational apps that are fun. Many educators have found it beneficial to introduce educational gaming apps in the classroom. This is something students can easily do in the summer as well.

Games may work on verbal, math, spatial, or reasoning skills. Children won’t even realize how much they’re learning as they focus on raising their scores and making it to the next level. Playing a captivating game will not feel like an imposition as most kids already enjoy playing games on their phones, tablets, or computers.

5. Encourage Creative Projects and Pursuits

Creative projects such as painting, playing music, making crafts, and other artistic pursuits help to stimulate different parts of the brain. They can also bring out latent abilities in kids and help them discover new interests. Such activities can be even more fun if the whole family participates. Here are just a few possibilities.

• Learn a musical instrument. Sign kids up for lessons or classes, or they can learn online.
• Look into arts and crafts-themed camps for kids. Or you could enroll them in a drawing, painting, theater, or other artistic class.
• Share your talents and hobbies with your children. If you play the piano, knit, bake, sculpt, or have any other creative outlet, plan some lessons or projects for the summer.
• Encourage writing. Whether it’s stories, writing in a journal, poetry, or postcards and letters to relatives, writing is always a good way to exercise creativity and verbal ability.
• Study a foreign language. There are many apps, videos, and books that can introduce students to another language, something that stimulates the language center of the brain and expands cultural awareness. This is another project that the whole family can take part in.

6. Enroll Your Child in an Online Summer School

Students have traditionally dreaded the prospect of having to attend summer school. However, if it’s online, the experience can be completely different. There’s no need to get on a bus or trudge to the school. All they need to do is log on. An online summer school gives children a chance to keep up with their studies in a way that provides a flexible schedule, not interfering with their other activities. BlueSky offers free, innovative distance learning to students from grades 6 to 12. To learn more, check out our summer school program page.

Develop Your Own Strategy to Avoid the Summer Slide

While it’s common for students to fall behind over the summer, there are quite a few ways to prevent this. The above are just a few suggestions to keep kids in the learning mode. There are more resources than ever to stimulate young minds, whether online, at home, or in your area. Check with local schools, libraries, and cultural centers for even more possibilities.