With summer fast approaching, students are anxiously awaiting carefree lazy days and late starry nights. As parents, we want to see our children enjoy this time of year without losing any academic gains they may have achieved during the school year.
One Researcher, Dr. Harris Cooper at Duke University, suggests that, "on average, students could lose approximately 1-3 months worth of learning during the summer months." This loss of learning, can be upsetting for children who have worked hard during the school year or impact one's self confidence if a gap in learning already exists.
You can prevent the "summer brain drain" by actively taking advantage of everyday interactions and "teachable moments" to make learning fun. Here are some suggestions for everyday activities and the types of questions you can ask your child to encourage learning. Feel free to adapt the questions to your child's age and development.
With many students getting ready for the summer break, there are also many parents wondering how they can keep their sons' and daughters' entertained for July and August. Here are some math-based ideas to try that are not only fun but will also help keep math skills honed.
Dice games (such as Shut-the-Box, Yahtzee, Pass the Pigs, and Farkle) as well as card games (Snap, pairs, Oh No 99!, Euchre and cribbage) are great for getting kids to practice their number sense. Spatial reasoning games (such as Kanoodle and the app Flow Free) are also a lot of fun and are great for road trips. Speaking of which, look for opportunities to use math on road trips by having your children help with navigating or planning routes or exchanging currency.
If puzzles are your thing, check out the wonderful 100 Days of Summer puzzles from brilliant.org at the website https://brilliant.org/100day/day0/ as well as the number puzzles at http://www.yohaku.ca/.
How do we continue to build and support students’ French language learning over the summer months? How can we ensure that skills acquired over the course of the school year continue to build and develop? Parents play a crucial role in helping to support their children’s language learning throughout the school year and during summer months as well. Here are a few ideas to consider as options for French language learning once school breaks for summer:
Beat the “summer slide” with online tools to engaging activities for learners at all levels of proficiency. Check it out!
Visit www.frenchstreet.ca for a wide range of other bilingual experiences you may wish to consider for your child to support their French skills over the summer months.
There are plenty of literacy and numeracy opportunities involved in planning, organizing and hosting a yard sale. For example:
Here are some suggestions on the kinds of questions to ask:
Math learning opportunities are available when planning and organizing a road trip, or taking a simple walk in your neighbourhood:
Questions to ask your child:
Geocaching is a free and exciting global treasure hunt. Being outside increases both our physical activity and oral communication skills.
Questions for your child:
There are endless ideas and activities that encourage learning. The most important thing to remember about any activity you enjoy with your child(ren) is to have fun and look for those "teachable moments." Ask questions and talk with them. Other ideas include:
Any opportunity your child has to think and apply what they have learned in school will keep their brain fresh, engaged and ready for September.