As summer vacations begin, so does the “summer slide”, where our sons (and daughters) lose academic ground during the months they are not in school. Summer slide can result in our children forgetting what they have learned and slowing the pace of their future learning. As a report from the National Summer Learning Association explains, “It’s common for teachers to spend at least a month re-teaching material that students have forgotten over the summer. That month of re-teaching eliminates a month that could have been spent on teaching new information and skills.”
What can parents do to fight summer slide without spending the summer being academic drill sergeants? One way is to encourage our sons to keep their skills sharp with fun apps and games.Commonsense.org recommends “5 Apps to Boost Math Skills over the Summer”, found here, which are both fun and skill building. Does your son want to play outside and/or in the park all day? Check out “13 Dazzling Discoveries Kids Can Make with Outdoor Apps”, found here, to find ways to bring out the budding scientist in him as he spends his days outdoors. Take a look at their “Summer Learning Guide” found here for great games, apps and websites designed to encourage your son to continue his learning over the summer.
We’ve offered you tips on encouraging summer reading in recent posts. Be sure to check out Reading is Fundamental’s article about how families can encourage summer reading found here.
We’ll keep adding resources as we find them to fight summer slide. Send us your tips!
