Benefits of Summer Learning

As summer approaches, there are many things to look forward to for kids. Warm sunny days, vacations, pool time, ice cream…so many memories are made in the summer. However, summer can also be a time when all the knowledge your child has worked hard for all school year is in danger of slipping away. This can especially be true with math. On average, students lose approximately 2.6 months of math learning while they’re on summer break. It’s what we call summer slide. This summer learning loss can have pretty devastating effects on kids as they move into other grades, because it can leave them ill prepared to move on in class. Lower test scores, lower self-confidence and negative impact on scholastic successfulness in high school and college can all be results of summer slide – especially when it is cumulative from year to year. What can be done about it? Read more to review ways you can help prevent summer slide this coming summer.

One of the best ways to keep your child’s math skills relevant and strong going into the next school year is to enroll them in a good summer math program. We, at Mathnasium of Littleton, are obviously big fans of this. The summer is the ideal time for reinforcement of all the things they learned the prior school year because kids are typically less scheduled and have more energy. They are then better able to focus on the tasks at hand. We love to see revitalized, happy vitamin D laden kids in the summer who are ready to tackle problems! 

Another good reason to choose a good summer math program is to get a head start on the school year to come. Their minds aren’t swimming with other homework and concepts from English, History, Science, Geography, Language Arts etc. so they can tune into new ideas without feeling overwhelmed. Their minds will be able to absorb concepts that might be met with more difficulty in the school year when they’re heard for the first time and the redundancy of hearing it again in school will help them nail it! In order to get the most out of a summer learning program, choose a program that specializes in effective, creative, anxiety-free ways to teach math based on a student's individual needs. We know of a really good one…ah-hem. 

Another way to help your child succeed in reducing summer slide is by finding active and engaging ways to practice math at home while doing some of your daily summer activities. Playing board games, baking and cooking together, taking field trips, grocery shopping, watching or playing sports, listening to music and reading are some examples of activities that can help combat summer slide. Doing stuff together provides children the opportunity to see math in a light that they may not have when sitting in a classroom – it’s a very practical application that can be beneficial for them to connect math to the real world. 

Lastly, we are not here to tell you that your child should be super scheduled in the summer. Clinical psychologists like Polly Young-Eisendrath, who wrote “The Self-Esteem Trap” argue that too many activities can be a problem and that kids need to lie around, play more freely and have a healthy dose of some non-goal oriented activities. Really, the problem more comes with over-scrutinization from parents, wherein activities no longer are fun for kids. There are plenty of psychologists who believe that there isn’t anything wrong with enrichment activities in addition to school, as long as there’s enough downtime and as long as the motivation for the activity is coming from the child. It’s good for kids to have some structure and schedule – even in the summer – and sprinkling in a math program is a perfect way to help jumpstart your kid’s next school year and also help them be a well-rounded student. 

Are you ready to help set your child up for success in the next coming school year? Are you wanting to make sure your kid keep soaring in math and continue to be challenged? Are you ready to take the next steps in preventing summer slide? Then register them for our summer program here at Mathnasium of Littleton. We are offering an Early Bird Special, where you get $150 off of a Mathnasium summer program. Take advantage of this deal to keep your student sliding in playgrounds, not in math.