Summer Learning Loss

SUMMER LEARNING LOSS

SUMMER LEARNING LOSS is the loss of academic skills and knowledge over the course of the summer holidays.

SUMMER LEARNING LOSS STATISTICS:

* 2.6 months of Maths skills are lost

* 2 months of reading skills are lost

* the first 6 weeks of the new academic year are spent re-learning old material to make up for summer learning loss

* summer learning loss can be recognised as early as Year 1

* by the end of Year 6, students who have experienced summer learning loss over the years are an average of 2 years behind their peers

FIVE WAYS TO PREVENT SUMMER LEARING LOSS

Studies have shown that if students are able to participate in organised academic activities during the summer holidays, they are less likely to experience the losses in academic skills and knowledge before the start of the next school year.

2-3 hours per week during the summer holidays is all that is needed to prevent any learning loss. Th summer holidays are the ideal time for students to hone their academic skills and there is plenty of time left over for summer fun.

1. Be a bookworm studies have shown that reading a book a week over the summer offers a great opportunity for students to preserve and strengthen their reading skills. Fifteen to thirty minutes per day is all it takes. Your summer activities should include taking your children to the local public library to check out books of interest. Most libraries run summer reading groups and this offers students a great opportunity to preserve and strengthen their reading skillS.

2. Be a diarist encouraging your child to keep a diary is a great way to improve their written language skills. A paragraph is all that is needed. You can help them by choosing a "topic" to write about. For example: a family holiday, a special outing or even a project on a topic that interests them. Encouraging your child to use a thesaurus or dictionary and to change several common words to more interesting words ( wow words) will make their writing more interesting. At the same time, they will be increasing their vocabulary, and practising their grammar, punctuation and grammar skills.

3. Be a numberphile - working on a few math problems per day during the summer can prevent students` mathematical skills from getting rusty. Parents can purchase a maths workbook, at the appropriate level, from various shops. Working on just four to five problems daily (or more, if your child enjoys maths) can help students of all ages close the gaps in their maths skills, preserve

what they had learned during the previous school year, and prepare them for the next school year.

4. Get physical encouraging physical activity over the summer will help keep your child in peak mental form, as studies have shown that physical health enhances academic performance.

5. Identify areas of difficulty by speaking to your child s current teacher, you will be able to pinpoint the topics your child had the most trouble learning. Make sure to fit in some practice over the summer in these areas. 15 to 30 minutes a day will be sufficient. There are plenty of resources available. The Internet offers a wide variety of learning materials, such as free workbooks, websites and computer games, to reinforce and strengthen academic skills and knowledge. If your budget permits, get some tutoring from qualified teachers.

By practicing the above tips, students will see a strengthening and improvement in academic skills and knowledge and avoid digressing two to three months of learning. Summer learning can be fun and challenging at the same time. By addressing any learning weaknesses, your child may find learning to be more fun, as they become more capable of meeting academic challenges. By igniting your child`s passion for learning, he or she can enjoy a renewed sense of academic self-esteem and enter the next academic year with confidence, enthusiasm and with the knowledge that they are more than capable of keeping up with their peers.