Children can lose up to 2 months of reading skills in a single summer!(Image: condesign/Pixabay/CC0 1.0 )
Summer learning loss is exactly what it sounds like. When kids are used to being in school all day and then suddenly they find themselves without lessons for two whole months, they tend to forget some of what they’ve learned. It’s kind of like an elite athlete who takes a season off and doesn’t train. There are going to be some sore muscles when he goes back the next season and has to resume a challenging workout!
Kids can lose 2 months of reading skills for each summer they spend away from school. This means that teachers need to repeat the previous year’s curriculum each fall, and it takes longer for kids to settle into the next grade.
All it takes is about 2-3 hours each week to prevent summer learning loss. Here are some ways you can keep your kids reading over the summer:
1. If your school gives out summer reading lists, help your kids get the books and encourage them to do the reading;
2. Sign your kids up for a free summer reading club at the local library;
3. Add a quiet reading time to your daily schedule, for example after lunch or between more physical activities;
4. Make trips to the library a regular part of your summer routine;
5. Organize a fun family competition to see who can read the most books over the summer;
6. Pack books when you go on road trips, when you head to the park or beach, or when you have a family picnic;
7. Have kids read maps when you travel or get them to read the directions for a recipe or a project you are doing together;
8. Start the day by taking turns reading aloud, or listening to audiobooks together. Remember that kids gain just as much from being read to, as they do from doing the reading themselves!
Original content © 2016 Kyla Matton Osborne
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View Comments
@Ruby3881 While at school we were given homework and that included something that we were expected to write everyday. But I would write all that just a day before getting back to school (lol)
I can't remember ever having any summer homework, though in my case I never had any issue with learning loss. I was an avid reader and kept myself very well engaged over the summers.
@Ruby3881 My lack of interest in reading continues even now. My interest is limited only to magazines and ofcourse online reading.
@bestwriter I'm the exact opposite! I love books but don't much care for magazines.
Very useful ideas! Thanks for sharing! It's always a pleasure to read your posts.
@swalia Thanks so much for saying so!
Is there a long school break where you live? Here in British Columbia, the school children spend all of July and August on holidays. For the students in grades 7-9, they may be off school from about mid-June until early September. There is no summer reading list, or any other sort of assigned summer schoolwork.
Much of June is taken up with end-of-the-year celebrations, field trips, exams, etc., and so there is little in the way of new learning. And most of September and October are usually given over to settling the students into a new year, or with reviewing the previous year's learning. Then the students have two weeks off in December and another two in March.
What all this amounts to is that our children spend about 6 out of 10 months in school actually learning new content. If we could keep them engaged all the way through those transitional months, we could raise that to 9 months instead.
@Ruby3881, This a scholarly post worth to read, very informative.
@lovern Thank you so much for saying so, Cely! A compliment like that means a lot coming from a scholar, such as yourself :)
That is a great list on how to encourage your children to read in the summer.
Thanks for stopping by to read and comment, Sandy! I hope you and your kids will find some of these ideas useful :)
My youngest arrived home from her last day of school today and we discovered that she had two short book reports assigned - due the first day of class. Her teacher has taken some time to select a number of suitable novels at the public library; he put them on hold specifically for his students. I'm so pleased to see that he took the time to think of their summer activities!
I do think that children should be enrolled short-term courses during a summer season. Most children would lose their drive in learning when stopped and it is not also good to feed their learnings by using modern gadgets.
@shavkat Actually, I disagree with enrolling younger children in any type of structured courses in the summer. If anything, they should be enrolled in summer camps, swimming lessons, or sports. But they need plenty of time for unstructured play. This is all too lacking during the school year when they get too much homework. (Research shows homework is unnecessary and could even be harmful to younger students.)
Joining a summer reading club that offers 2-3 hours of fun reading-related activities is more than enough to prevent the loss of reading and other language arts skills. And as for those gadgets you think aren't good for them, it's all in how they are used.
My youngest uses technology all the time at school; in her class, most assignments are composed on a computer and submitted electronically. She uses the devices at home and in the public library to search out information, to tinker with art and science, and to play games that teach her about things like nature and history. She might be avoiding the writing and math skills work she ought to do, but she's definitely learning in other areas!
Great information on a topic perfect for summer vacations from school
@lindakaazjennyheart2015 I do hope the ideas will help some parents to help keep their kids on track over the summer!