Avoid Summer Learning Loss: Four Tips for Fun Summer Learning

Online, May 3, 2010 (Newswire.com) - Summer is not far off and finding an array of fun summer learning activities will not only engage your children but can help ward off summer learning loss. Like most families, parents are preparing for the summer vacation break from school. What happens to the school routine of learning and practicing material during the summer?

Research shows that students lose a month of academic achievement over the summer months. That means that they retain 8 months of information from a typical 9 month school year. For computational math and spelling, they may lose 2.6 months. Students retain only about 2/3 of the information they learned in these subjects. How do parents limit this summer learning loss? Here are a few tips.

Reading- Reading during the summer is important. Students are required to read during the school year and should continue to develop their reading abilities during the summer. Let your children see their parents reading. Children who frequently read often have parents who also read.

Journaling- Is the family planning a summer vacation away from home? Encourage your children to make a journal about the trip to practice writing skills. Have your child help map out the trip to practice math and science skills. Encourage your children to write about their summer activities.

Supervised Cooking- Having your children help with cooking is a way to practice math and science skills. Following a recipe is a good way to practice following directions. Most recipes have fractions for various amounts of ingredients. This, of course, is math practice.

Tutoring- Consider tutoring for your children during the summer months. Your children can practice skills learned during the school year and get a deeper understanding of the knowledge they acquired. They can also get a head start on the next school year. Online tutoring offers a convenient option.

By incorporating subjects like reading, writing, math, and science into activities in which you participate during the summer, parents can limit the summer learning loss for their children. Visit www.tutorfi.com/loriem for a free report on how to motivate your child to succeed in school.