PHOENIX, ARIZONA, June 11, 2008 — Recent studies are showing that over the summertime months, children lose much of the knowledge they gain over the course of the previous school year. This phenomenon is known as summer learning loss, and according to research conducted by the John Hopkins Center for Summer Learning, all young people experience learning losses over the summer if they do not engage in educational activities. On average, over the summer months, students lose approximately 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency in mathematical computation skills, and the break in studies contributes to the achievement gap in reading performance between lower and higher income children and youth. Implementing some scholastic activities during the summer break will help your children maintain their learning skills while enjoying the time off from the classroom.

1. Make a list of books to read and then head to the library to find them.

2. Find out what’s going on at your local library. Most libraries have summer reading programs with fun themes and incentives for the number of books read.

3. Have a morning or evening read aloud time with everyone in the family taking turns.

4. Play word games like Scrabble, Boggle, and Quiddler, or number games like Sudoku.

5. Have your child keep a journal while traveling.

6. Skim the newspaper and find a new word to learn each day.

7. Get to work in the kitchen making some favorite recipes or bread. Let kids figure out measurements, the sequence of steps, elapsed time, serving sizes, etc.

8. Use every opportunity to practice math facts – riding in the car, waiting in line, etc.

9. Use real life situations to solve math problems – change at the grocery store, gas at the pump, estimating tax, exchanging currency, or figuring a tip.

10. Add and subtract license plate numbers while riding in the car.

Contact

Christina Vanskike
916-448-5802