Summer Slide

 Parents.... Teachers need your help!

Summer slide simply means that if your child is not staying engaged with the basics of reading, writing and math. They tend to slide backwards academically, and it take more work at the beginning of school to get their gears turning again. Now, as a parent myself, I know that this can be a challenging task. You want your child to enjoy summer and so do you! We totally understand, but here are a few things you can do to help your child, and quite frankly- us teachers. 

Tips

Keep in the Car: 

• A Book or Magazine (Not a Kindle or iPhone- a real book to leaf through.) 
• A Notebook or Drawing Pad (Don't forget a writing utensil or utensils.)
• A Deck of Cards (Uno cards will do as well.)

How many times are you in the car with the kids and there is an opportunity to practice a few skills based on what you are going to do or have just done. 

Ideas: How long will it take us to get to the park? 

       How long did it take for us to get to the park if we left at 9:15 and we arrived at 10:13? 

       How many different birds did we see at the park? Can you write down the names of as many as you

       can recall? Can you draw them? What color were they? (You get the drift.)

       Write down your favorite activity that we did today? Why was it your favorite? 

        What was your least favorite activity and why?

 

Maybe you are stuck in traffic, and you need to keep the kids entertained because they have to go to the bathroom and there is not a chance they are getting out of the car for a bit, and you need to distract them. A deck of cards is just what you need. 

Ideas: Pull two cards and have your child, add, subtract or multiply them together (mental math).

       Pull 4 cards and read them aloud. Then have your child recall the cards that you said. (Add or take

       away cards as they practice.)

       If you have more than one kiddo in the car, have them practice math facts with one another.

       or

       Have your child draw what they see out the window. 

       Write a poem about being stuck in traffic or in the car.

Books and magazines are just so easy to have handy and they don't need to be charged and can go anywhere with you. Have your child carry one everywhere they go. It doesn't matter if it is a book or magazine they have read a hundred times or a new one. There is always "waiting" time in most every part of life what better way to pass the time than with reading. 

Ideas: Have your child read aloud. (This is a critical skill for kids of all ages and practice is essential.)

       Ask your child to read one page aloud to you and then ask them to summarize what they read. 

       Ask your child to read a page silently and then ask them to summarize what they read to you. 

       Ask questions about the book: Who is the main character? How old is this character? Where does

       this story take place? 

       

As a 5th and 6th grade teacher, I realize that some of these ideas are geared more toward the upper end of elementary school. However, these ideas in general, can be applied to all ages. The key is to keep your child engaged academically, and that takes effort. And, if your teacher has given your child a summer packet, it is not because they want you to be the bad guy forcing school on them in the summertime. It is because they know that summer slide is a real thing and even a little help from you will go a long way. It only requires you to carve out a little time (maybe while you are making dinner) to have them work on it even just for 10 minutes. No prep required on your part, just a little encouragement:)

Thanks Parents and Happy Summer!!!