Family Forum: No More Pencils, No More Books?

Summer vacation isn’t quite under way, so I know kids (and many parents) won’t welcome what I’m about to say: It’s probably best that kids not throw away all their school supplies since ideally they should continue some work over their vacation.

Studies show that between kindergarten and sixth grade, students tend to experience brain drain, typically a loss of one to two months of reading and math skills.

This summer slide occurs when they don’t engage in educational activities for several weeks. As a result, teachers tend to spend four to six weeks each fall re-teaching material learned the previous year.  

That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to make your child finish all those incomplete workbooks the teacher sends home this week or insist on daily study habits. If you can’t engage your child because the learning isn’t fun, you’re not getting anywhere.

The best way for them to retain the skills they learned this school year is to make learning enjoyable, not an obligation. Then they won’t even know they’re learning. Besides, students do need a break from the pressure to perform throughout the school year.

To foster summertime learning without an obvious agenda, below are suggested math, reading, writing, science and social studies activities that parents and kids can do together — for the fun of it.

Math: There are plenty of ways to practice math skills daily.

• Track sports statistics and keep a chart.
• Hang a thermometer outside to track the
  temperature throughout the summer.
• Make paper airplanes and measure their flight.

Reading: The best way to get children to read over the summer is for parents to model it for them. You can also:

• Sign up for the summer reading program at your library.
• Listen to books on tape as a family while you’re on the road.

Writing: Help them maintain their manual dexterity.

• Create and plan a calendar of events together. Kids can fill in the days with events they help you choose.
• Have them hand-write letters to relatives and friends at camp.

Science: Incorporate math skills as well as reading and writing as children explore their natural world.

• Have a treasure hunt at the beach. Bring along a field guide or go online to do research about your treasures when you get home.

• Observe weather patterns and make forecasts.

Social Studies: Reading and writing skills come in handy as children participate in activities that help them learn more about history, geography and culture.

• Be a tourist on Long Island and in New York City. Visit President Teddy Roosevelt’s home, Sagamore Hill, in Oyster Bay or Ellis Island.
• Take them to an ethnic supermarket to try new foods and then talk about and research the country they came from.

This is just a partial list of activities to get you started thinking of playful learning. Not only will it reinforce their skills from the school year, it also offers you a way to create memories to take back to school—and beyond. 

Liza N. Burby is Publisher of Long Island Parent Magazine and liparentonline.com.