Whether or not your child is sometimes struggling in school, research tells us that students suffer from losing skills over the summer when they are not actively involved in academic endeavors. Here in Santa Clarita Valley we are fortunate to have an abundance of summer camps and opportunities for our students to enjoy outdoor activities and sports; there are not as many choices for gaining an academic boost or doing some catch up.
When you are planning summer activities for your child, think about adding an element of focus on the basics of reading, writing and math in order to avoid what is often referred to as the “summer slide” of learning loss.
“Summer learning loss is an issue for all children and all schools…Evidence suggests that summer programs—well designed and implemented—can not only maintain school-skills over the summer months, but also boost learning in teamwork, problem solving, communication, and other key areas.” (Nellie Mae Education Foundation, The Learning Season). In fact, several studies have shown that over the summer, kids lose more than 2.6 months of math skills learned in the prior school year. That is why teachers have to spend the first couple of months of the school year getting their students caught up! However, if your student spends time working in the key areas of language arts and math practice, not only can you offer them an opportunity to retain their skills but you may also give them a chance to make progress not otherwise realized when the constant demands of the curriculum during the school year do not allow the same luxury of time that the summer affords. We can take time to either stimulate growth and development and/or to re-teach concepts not fully understood during the academic school year. When school starts in September there can be a marked improvement in comparison to the rest of the class.
Call Tutor Doctor for your free consultation at 661-219-0770. We offer a Summer Program for students: four weeks, half day. Students gain and retain skills necessary to avoid summer learning loss and boost self-confidence. Or, select our signature one-on-one, in-home tutoring offered seven days a week for those students and families who need flexible scheduling and may need to play more intensive catch up this summer. www.santaclaritatutoring.com. Visit Santa Clarita Tutor Doctor on Facebook!