New School Year often Presents Difficulties for Math Students after Long Summer Break

The new school year will bring many challenges for children as they get used to more difficult work in all their classes. Few subjects build on concepts and skills learned in years prior as much as math does.

Many children simply aren’t ready to pick up where they left off.

The start of a new school year comes with an adjustment period as students ease back into their academic routines. Unfortunately, this often comes with the realization that they’re a bit rusty in certain subjects—none more so than math. Kids who spent the summer without engaging in math activities may need some extra time and help to build their math muscles back up. For many, this can result in poor performance in the early part of the academic year. Left unchecked, these setbacks do add up.

Fortunately, the beginning of the school year and the early fall months present a valuable opportunity for students to start working toward this year’s math goals before they feel the full brunt of academic pressures and deadlines. This is an ideal time for children to incorporate additional math work to help them warm up their math muscles and recall important concepts from the prior year. Pinpointing problem areas before math struggles get out of hand can help set the tone for students to develop a more positive relationship with math and embrace opportunities for learning that lie ahead.