Summer vacations are the perfect laidback picnic parents and children look forward to all through the year. However, such long periods away from school may not augur well for children because of a phenomenon called summer slide. Being one of the top 10 schools in Tricity, we believe parents should know about this disconcerting condition that many young students may experience and is often overlooked by many.
What Is Summer Slide?
Over the course of long-drawn summer holidays children tend to lose touch with their academics which results in them shedding vital educational knowledge and skills that they assimilated during the term. This is commonly referred to as summer slide or summer learning loss. The extent to which academic development slows down in children rides mainly on the class, subject and economic status of the family among other factors.
Generally students end up losing around 1 month worth of academic skills and when they join the school after summer break they struggle to recall their lessons. Such loss has been found to be higher in case of standardized subjects like mathematics.
What Can You Do About It?
To keep children in the learning loop even during vacations parents can lighten it up with fun learning activities. Take cue from the following points:
• Summer Learning Program – Enrolling your kid in a scholastic learning program during summer holidays keeps your child gainfully occupied while also ensuring that he acquires productive academic knowledge and skills.
• Make Them Learn New Skill – When children pick up a new skill like learning how to play a cello or piano it hones their cognitive abilities. Sending them to a language class like French or German could come in handy few years down the line.
• Play Games – There are a myriad of games your child can play that are designed to improve children’s memory, sharpen their intellect and teach them problem-solving and math skills.
• Read A Book – Reading is severely underrated in today’s times but if you want to boost your children’s creativity, imagination and knowledge then make it a point to read to them every day. But make sure that they are asking thought-provoking questions and learning something new.
• Take Them On Fun Educational Trips – The idea is to make children curious about the world around them so plan a trip to a museum, a zoo or a planetarium, anywhere where they are likely to be more inquisitive and acquire more knowledge.
At Hallmark Public School, best CBSE school in Panchkula, academics believe that by blending recreation and education together parents and children can successfully beat summer slide.