Effective summer learning strategies

Your child has worked hard all school year—the last thing you want is for them to lose ground over summer. When you keep your child learning over summer break, you minimize regression and the loss of essential skills for next school year. There are many simple things you can do to keep your child’s mind sharp while school is out. Here are several summer learning strategies to avoid learning loss:

Summer tutoring. Learning over the summer keeps children’s academic skills polished and, in some cases, makes it possible for them to get ahead. One of the best things about well-designed summer learning is that it can be laidback and still very effective. Huntington’s summer learning programs are designed to be high impact and low pressure, focusing on shorter sessions that cover one subject at a time. Children can focus on reading comprehension, math, writing and study skills, and receive positive, caring guidance to build their skills and confidence without overtaking their summer break.

Practice each day. Even as little as 30 minutes of daily academic practice can help children retain what they know. Check out workbooks that are designed to bridge learning between grades. Review material (like graded homework assignments and textbooks) from the previous school year, or enroll your child in a flexible, individualized tutoring program at Huntington.

Blend enrichment with recreation. Summer should be about relaxation and exploration, so try to find ways to combine learning and fun. Field trips and outings to library events and activities are two easy options, but get creative. Pick educational themes for each week of summer and read articles, plan activities and play games within that theme. Take a road trip somewhere historic and do some advance reading and research as a family.

Work on projects. Project-based learning is an excellent way to apply knowledge and skills and keep the mind active over summer. There are many advantages of this student-centered method of learning: students learn to solve problems, explore topics thoroughly and find answers to questions through research. At home, you could pick a theme or topic and have your child come up with a list of things to investigate about that topic. Throughout the summer, encourage them to share what they learn. Let your child drive the work, but facilitate along the way.

Read for fun. Summer is the perfect time for children to explore books they don’t have the time to enjoy during the school year. Give your child the freedom to read whatever they like this summer, and remember that magazines, blogs, comic books and child-appropriate websites are all fair game. Study after study shows that a daily summer reading habit prevents children from taking a step backward. As long as your child is reading, do not be too picky about the format or subject.

Summer is a great time for children to continue learning in a more relaxed, self-directed way. It’s important for children to recharge their batteries over summer break, but parents should nudge them off the couch and encourage them to explore their imaginations and engage in projects and learning opportunities with peers and siblings. Structured academic work each day can make a tremendous difference in preventing brain drain too, and will make the start of next school much easier.

Huntington offers summer tutoring programs for all types of students—whether a child has fallen behind in one or more subjects or wants to stay up on their skills during the school break. Call Huntington at 1-800 CAN LEARN or visit www.huntingtonhelps.com to learn more.