Ideas for Parents to Do Over the Summer to Help Students Return Ready for School
Cristina Rodriguez Chen, Ph.D. @tampagirl70
Akweta Hickman, Ed.D. @AkwetaHickman
Cristina Rodriguez Chen, Ph.D. @tampagirl70
Akweta Hickman, Ed.D. @AkwetaHickman
Ideas for Parents Do Over the Summer to Help Students Return Ready for School
Summer is finally here. The kids are excited to be out of school and at home. They are happily spending their time away from school sleeping, catching up on their favorite television shows or possibly playing video games with their friends. While unstructured activities seem relaxing for children, they offer fewer opportunities for them to engage in enrichment and academic activities. This lack of structured instructional time leads to what is known as the summer slide.
Summer slide or summer learning loss, as it is often referred to, is a common phenomenon experienced by children. During the summer months, students can lose as much as two to three months of reading and math skills. Academic regression is common among children that are not engaged in academic is off periods. The result of this loss of skills means that teachers will have to spend a considerable amount of time at the beginning of the year reviewing skills that children may have forgotten over the summer.
Even though children are off during the summer months, many parents’ schedules have not changed. As a result, parents can find themselves stressed about making sure that their children are not victims of the summer slide. There are things parents can do to ensure that children are having fun and learning at the same time. There are many things that parents can do to ensure that their children do not fall victims to the summer slide. It’s essential to keep children on a schedule, limiting their time on the computer or on video games. Setting boundaries on the amount of time children spend on the computer, or video games is crucial. Without these limits, children will lose track of time, and before you know it, they have spent the entire day sitting and playing video games. However, there is an alternative. Parents can use the computer and video games to build instructional skills or enhance the gaming experience through writing activities.
Parents can use the Premack Principle to increase their child’s likelihood of completing a non-preferred task. The Premack principle is a theory often used in schools to ensure students the probability that a student will complete a task that they student may not enjoy, such as reading or writing. The teacher gives the student an If-Then situation. For example, if you complete your reading assignment, then you can have 10 minutes on the computer.
Parents also use the Premack Principle, often without realizing it, when they ask children to eat their dinner (low probability behavior) before eating dessert (high probability behavior). One way to use the Premack Principle for during the summer is to provide your child with an If-Then situation. If you write an essay about the fun of using the computer (gaming experience), then you can play video games for an hour. The idea is to increase the probability of the child completing a writing assignment to gain access to the desired activity of playing the video game.
Parents should also ensure that their children maintain healthy sleeping habits during the summer. Children should maintain a similar bedtime routine during the summer as during the school year. Keeping this schedule will assist children as they transition back into their school routines without too many glitches. Additionally, parents should also limit the number of snacks children eat during the day. It’s easy for humans to get into ruts when we have too much time on their hands. Sometimes, we eat out of sheer boredom and not due to hunger. Keeping healthy snacks, such as fruit, readily available for children, is helpful.
Meal preparation is also an opportunity for families to create healthy meals and snacks together. As children grow older, sharing the responsibility of assisting with meal preparation is a fabulous way to learn the nutritional values of food and how to plan out meals. Including activities like grocery shopping also gives experiences as learning opportunities that are effortless and part of daily living.
If you have time, perhaps take the children to your local library. Many libraries offer summer programs for children at no cost to families. Some libraries provide arts and crafts as well as story time. Children can also go to the library to find great books to read or perhaps play a game of checkers or chess with other children, even adults. Librarians can also be a great resource to parents looking for enrichment activities for their children. Don’t be afraid to ask the librarian about summer activities. Social interaction with others creates direct and incidental learning experiences that are important for children to build vocabulary and understanding of the world around them.
Another great resource to help children maintain their academic skills is the internet. There are plenty of websites that offer academic enrichment in the form of games. These games keep children engaged, interested, and help to reduce the effects of summer slide. Often children become so interested in the activity, they do not realize they are actually doing academic tasks. When you are looking for interactive games for your children to play, be sure to look for age-appropriate games. One word of caution, before you allow your children to play games online, be sure you have reviewed the content of the website to ensure it is appropriate for your child.
Summer is a great time for children to enjoy a break from school. However, it is essential that we keep children involved in engaging activities that will help them maintain their academic skills. Remember talking to your child and using daily experiences of the family life can serve as a great instructional tool to continue the academic focus throughout the summer. Have a great summer filled with relaxation and learning.
Summer is finally here. The kids are excited to be out of school and at home. They are happily spending their time away from school sleeping, catching up on their favorite television shows or possibly playing video games with their friends. While unstructured activities seem relaxing for children, they offer fewer opportunities for them to engage in enrichment and academic activities. This lack of structured instructional time leads to what is known as the summer slide.
Summer slide or summer learning loss, as it is often referred to, is a common phenomenon experienced by children. During the summer months, students can lose as much as two to three months of reading and math skills. Academic regression is common among children that are not engaged in academic is off periods. The result of this loss of skills means that teachers will have to spend a considerable amount of time at the beginning of the year reviewing skills that children may have forgotten over the summer.
Even though children are off during the summer months, many parents’ schedules have not changed. As a result, parents can find themselves stressed about making sure that their children are not victims of the summer slide. There are things parents can do to ensure that children are having fun and learning at the same time. There are many things that parents can do to ensure that their children do not fall victims to the summer slide. It’s essential to keep children on a schedule, limiting their time on the computer or on video games. Setting boundaries on the amount of time children spend on the computer, or video games is crucial. Without these limits, children will lose track of time, and before you know it, they have spent the entire day sitting and playing video games. However, there is an alternative. Parents can use the computer and video games to build instructional skills or enhance the gaming experience through writing activities.
Parents can use the Premack Principle to increase their child’s likelihood of completing a non-preferred task. The Premack principle is a theory often used in schools to ensure students the probability that a student will complete a task that they student may not enjoy, such as reading or writing. The teacher gives the student an If-Then situation. For example, if you complete your reading assignment, then you can have 10 minutes on the computer.
Parents also use the Premack Principle, often without realizing it, when they ask children to eat their dinner (low probability behavior) before eating dessert (high probability behavior). One way to use the Premack Principle for during the summer is to provide your child with an If-Then situation. If you write an essay about the fun of using the computer (gaming experience), then you can play video games for an hour. The idea is to increase the probability of the child completing a writing assignment to gain access to the desired activity of playing the video game.
Parents should also ensure that their children maintain healthy sleeping habits during the summer. Children should maintain a similar bedtime routine during the summer as during the school year. Keeping this schedule will assist children as they transition back into their school routines without too many glitches. Additionally, parents should also limit the number of snacks children eat during the day. It’s easy for humans to get into ruts when we have too much time on their hands. Sometimes, we eat out of sheer boredom and not due to hunger. Keeping healthy snacks, such as fruit, readily available for children, is helpful.
Meal preparation is also an opportunity for families to create healthy meals and snacks together. As children grow older, sharing the responsibility of assisting with meal preparation is a fabulous way to learn the nutritional values of food and how to plan out meals. Including activities like grocery shopping also gives experiences as learning opportunities that are effortless and part of daily living.
If you have time, perhaps take the children to your local library. Many libraries offer summer programs for children at no cost to families. Some libraries provide arts and crafts as well as story time. Children can also go to the library to find great books to read or perhaps play a game of checkers or chess with other children, even adults. Librarians can also be a great resource to parents looking for enrichment activities for their children. Don’t be afraid to ask the librarian about summer activities. Social interaction with others creates direct and incidental learning experiences that are important for children to build vocabulary and understanding of the world around them.
Another great resource to help children maintain their academic skills is the internet. There are plenty of websites that offer academic enrichment in the form of games. These games keep children engaged, interested, and help to reduce the effects of summer slide. Often children become so interested in the activity, they do not realize they are actually doing academic tasks. When you are looking for interactive games for your children to play, be sure to look for age-appropriate games. One word of caution, before you allow your children to play games online, be sure you have reviewed the content of the website to ensure it is appropriate for your child.
Summer is a great time for children to enjoy a break from school. However, it is essential that we keep children involved in engaging activities that will help them maintain their academic skills. Remember talking to your child and using daily experiences of the family life can serve as a great instructional tool to continue the academic focus throughout the summer. Have a great summer filled with relaxation and learning.