Months away from school can lead to measurable learning loss in skills like reading. Teachers know all about “the summer slide”— students come back to school out of practise, maybe forgetting some of what they learned. For this reason, your child’s teacher may have encouraged families to make reading a summer priority. We’ve gathered a few ideas to help get you started.
Keep up the momentum
Keep reading skills fresh by scheduling dedicated reading time every day. Putting library visits and/or trips to the bookstore on your family’s summer calendar can help. At home, it may be helpful to create some cozy spaces that are conducive to reading. If your family has hit the road for a summer trip, scheduled reading time in the evening can be a great wind-down activity for everyone.
Check in about the books they’re reading to monitor for understanding. Ask, “What did you picture for what happened in that story?”, “What do you think might happen next?”, or “How would you change the ending of the story?”
Explore interests
Summer is a great time for children and teens to explore their personal interests. For example, an animal enthusiast can visit the zoo or volunteer at the local animal shelter. Use their special interest to choose summer reading titles.
Maintain limits
Screen time, including TV, can prevent kids from being mentally and physically active. For this reason, it’s a good idea to set time limits on screen time just as you would during the school year, allowing for ample time outside, interacting face-to-face, with family and friends. While TV and gaming can have some value, these activities offer little opportunity for students to visualise language—a key component for comprehension. Reading books, and listening to audiobooks can keep your child’s mind active.
Reluctant reader?
If reading is not fun for your child, implementing a summer reading plan may be especially challenging. A learning ability evaluation can uncover the strengths and weaknesses that affect reading and comprehension. The right learning plan can turn weaknesses into strengths and make school easier. Check out this infographic about the causes of some reading difficulties: [INFOGRAPHIC] Why is my child struggling in school?
Turn Summer Learning Loss into Learning Gain!
Imagine your child returning to school in autumn with better skills, ready to tackle the new year. Students can spend part of their summer at one of our learning centres to turn what could have been a learning loss, into a learning gain.
Summer learning at Lindamood-Bell is individualised to meet the learning needs of each student in a short amount of time. Because it’s one-to-one, we’ll only spend time on what your child needs. Learn about our summer programs here.
Some students come to us with a previous diagnosis of a learning challenge. Some need learning to be easier, while some use summer learning to get ahead for next year. We start by identifying strengths and weaknesses that may be affecting performance in reading, comprehension, and maths. And, we make recommendations for individualised instruction plans that create learning gains. Students go back to school with more confidence.
Make an impact this summer! It’s a great time to get ahead for next school year. Get started today by contacting us to discuss how we can help make this summer everything your family has been waiting for!
Double Bay and Brisbane (02) 9328 7119 | Chatswood and Melbourne (02) 9410 1006
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