This school year has absolutely flown by! I cannot believe that we are approaching the summer months already. Summer is definitely one of my favorite seasons. I love having our girls home and spending the time together. We make lots of new memories and make the most of every moment! One thing we make sure not to do is fall victim to the 'Summer Slump'.
June-August is typically known as the 'Summer Slump'. Many kids will simply take off these few months altogether because they do not 'have' to learn. Over the many years of teaching and tutoring, I have seen this firsthand. While it may seem like a good idea at the time to give them the summer off from learning, it proves to be extremely frustrating and difficult as the school year begins in August.
Although summer is the time that they are out of school, my girls will be the first to tell you that we do have 'school' at home from June-August! They don't dread this, they actually enjoy it! Learning can be, and MUST be fun! The school teacher in me loves to make weekly plans for their learning. It is a joy to experience and see them learn new concepts and read novels alongside them. Not only are we engaging in the learning process, we are making huge strides in their reading levels, and increasing knowledge on new topics! It is really important that some kind of consistent school work is taught and learned over the summer months.
If you want to know the secret to avoiding the 'Summer Slump', here are my tips:
1- HAVE A PLAN
Please know, I am not recommending rigorous studying over the summer or anything that would take more than 20-30 min a day. If you have a plan in place, you can grab this time each day to engage in learning. The key is to have a plan. Our girls like to do their work in the morning. That way, the day doesn't get ahead of them and they run out of time. Usually, it takes place between 8:30-9:00am. They know it is part of our daily routine, so they accept it and make the best of it!
2-SET ACHIEVABLE GOALS
Every year, our girls reading levels increase and they are able to look back and master skills they may not have fully understood in math as well as look into the upcoming school year and get a head start on the content that will be taught to them! The first week of summer, let them choose a novel they want to read and finish by the end of the summer. Have them choose a math concept they want to focus more on and master. Have them select a new math concept they have not been taught yet and introduce this to them! All of these goals will help keep the learning process focused and they will be so proud of themselves in the end.
3-HAVE FUN
Summer is all about having fun and being together. You don't have to forget all about learning in order to have fun! Make choices that are fun, reward them each week when they finish their work. Most of all, let them know how proud you are of them by choosing to incorporate a little learning in their summer break!
One thing is for sure: When they return to school in the fall, they will be more confident students and fully ready to engage in the learning process of the upcoming school year!
Don't fall into the 'Summer Slump'. Take action and you will be amazed at the results your children achieve!
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