Summer vacation can be either a learning wasteland or a learning paradise. The temptations are great for children to spend hours watching television or playing video games, but with a little ingenuity and planning, the summer can be transformed into a time to stretch the mind, explore new hobbies, learn about responsibility and build on skills learned during the school year.
Teachers spend an average of four to eight weeks every fall reviewing and re-teaching material that students have forgotten during the long summer break. Many students lose the equivalent of one to two months of reading and math skills during the summer and do not score as well on standardized tests as students who continue to learn during the summer. Each summer a student isn’t learning, adds up and can have a long-term impact on overall performance in school, so keep the learning going.
Learning can take place whether you are taking a trip or spending the summer in your own neighborhood. But be careful not to over plan. To avoid boredom, a child has to learn to be motivated on his or her own, to a certain extent, and that is an acquired skill. If every time your child says I’m bored, you step in with a quick solution, they’ll never learn to develop their own resources. But do provide some options. Just don’t try to instill learning.
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The DSD Parent Center is located on the south side of the Reed Elementary School campus. Call coordinator Lori Hill at 870-382-1609 for more information.
