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Summer is almost here! No more school. Yeah!!! Oh no .... "summer loss". We've heard the term before; what students don't use, they tend to forget or remember incompletely, which means teachers need to reteach skills at the beginning of the following school year. This then takes time away from new learning and ultimately limits academic growth. So, using summer time to reinforce what's been learned is an important part of helping your child be as successful as possible in school. However, time off from the structure of the school day is also really important; this not only lets children catch up on sleep, but, with a reduced pace, it affords the opportunity to engage in more in-depth creative projects, try new activities, and play without being rushed, all of which are really important to development. So, let's talk about how you can help keep your child's "school mind" alert, and with that strengthen learning, doing so in a way that makes sense. And for me, that sense of being MEANINGFUL is really important.
There are several ways to accomplish this. First, you can do so by having your child practice what's needed. When we think of learning as a hierarchy, with skills and abilities building on each other, it's important to ensure that the underlying skills have been mastered. Talk to your child's teacher so you know what skills your child should strengthen and what skills are critical to success during the next school year.
Another aspect to being MEANINGFUL is to think about how children practice specific skills. Learning in isolation and memorizing aren't usually the most effective ways to learn nor do they allow for the development of critical thinking. Yes, there is a place for drill work (those basic math facts). But, that doesn't mean you can't add meaning to practice. Think about how you can help your children build a network around what they're doing. By doing so, you're facilitating their ability to retrieve and work with what they know. For example, as your children do that packet from school, have them explain what they're doing, so they have to think about what they're doing rather than just going through the paces; help them make connections to something else that's been learned or experienced. In a less prescribed way, you can build a network around learning, and thus make it more meaningful, by looking for opportunities for your children to use the skills naturally.
Many academic skills are already integrated into the day or can easily be added to the day. For example, math skills come into play when following recipes; sorting laundry can build classification skills. Reading skills can be practiced by reading about an upcoming vacation spot while writing skills can be reinforced by having your child write thank you notes for gifts or write for information for a summer trip. What you're doing with activities such as these is tying classroom learning to experiences, which builds the network. In addition, an integral part of being able to connect new learning to something known is having an array of experiences on which to draw. Summer is a great time to create experiences: museums, walk along the beach to explore low tide.
Another point I want to share is that learning can also be strengthened by considering what is important to learning in general. Although not achievement based, these abilities are critical to learning and can easily be reinforced and practiced as part of your day. As I highlight several of these, I'll give examples of how to support them so you'll have a flavor of what I mean, but keep in mind that this list is by no means complete.
First, language and vocabulary play an important role in academic success. Very simply, talk to your child; ask open ended questions (What did you like about camp today?) and respond using advanced vocabulary. Similarly, add reading to your day; although television can be entertaining, the vocabulary is VERY limited. For younger children, it's important to read books to them as well, using books above their reading level so you're exposing them to more advanced vocabulary. You can also plan a family game night, with games such as Scrabble, and play word games when riding in the car,
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