I know you’re probably been sitting back waiting on me to cover how to prevent the Summer Slide, so I’m here to deliver…
Summer Slide Statistics
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the concept of the Summer Slide, let me explain: the Summer Slide refers to the loss of knowledge in reading and math over summer break because kids are not practicing these skills. Shockingly, according to Scholastic.com, “a recent study of children in 3rd to 5th grades showed that students lost, on average, about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading and 27 percent of their school-year gains in math during summer break.” These deficits are not easy to make-up when they start school again in the fall!
Also, kids who are younger are actually more susceptible to this problem because they are at such an early, important stage of development!
When I first started teaching, I really struggled to think of creative ways to get my students to read over the summer. We don’t want to take the “drill and kill” method by forcing kids to do repeated problems and worksheets, we want to make the experience enjoyable. Once I shared with my students’ parents some creative ways to learn, they began to see some positive effects in the coming school year.
How to Prevent the Summer Slide:
1. Allow kids to read a book of their choice!
2. Take time to read aloud with your child (no matter their age!) or listen to an audiobook together.
3. It’s important to spend time outdoors. Nature has so many benefits!
4. Build a book culture in your home by talking about books with your kids.
5. Take our Summer Reading Challenge! (sign up below)
