May/June 2014-Parent Tip On Preventing
"Summer Brain Drain"
Summer is almost here! I is time to kick back and enjoy the lazy days of summer. However, it is important to make sure that learning is still happening for kids. There are ways to create a smooth transition from school year to summer months. Kids tend to gain weight in the summer as well as fall behind in school related skills if they are not keeping both their bodies and minds active. Reading loss, weight gain and other loss of skills are preventable if you are proactive about keeping elementary and middle school aged children engaged in the summer.
In general, kids respond very well to schedules and structure-even in the summer. Set up a schedule together that involves both physical activity as well as learning. The morning is a good time to routinely have kids read, complete pages in a workbook, interact with flashcards, or play board games. The afternoon is a good time to schedule field trips to museums, factory tours, or just going outside to ride bikes, swim, or play in unstructured play with friends outside. Another tip to get kids motivated to read is to organize a neighborhood book/movie club where the kids are reading a book that was made into a movie. Pick one that they have not read (or seen the movie) and then when everyone is finished, you can host a movie night showing the movie based on that book.
Here are some other great resources to read about more ideas on how to prevent the "summer brain drain".
For Pre-K-3:
http://www.greatschools.org/students/summer-activities/4909-keep-your-child-learning-all-summer-long-video.gs
http://www.greatschools.org/students/summer-activities/slideshows/4167-summer-learning-first-second-third-grade.gs?page=1 (learning activities page for elementary age)
Summer learning for middle schoolers:
http://www.greatschools.org/students/summer-activities/slideshows/4169-summer-learning-middle-school.gs?page=2
In summary, try and follow these tips:
1. Follow the 5-2-1 rule where they eat 5 fruits and veggies a day, watch 2 hours or less of screen time (includes video games and computer time), and engage in at least 1 hour of exercise a day.
2. Structure their days. Summer can make some kids stressed because it is not as predictable and routine as the school year. Create a daily schedule and set out certain times in the day where they are doing learning activities, field trips, physical play, etc. This helps kids predict their days ahead and reduces stress. You can even plan a daily "surprise" excursion where they have some element of spontaneity built into each day.
3. Ask your kids to pick out their own summer workbooks and complete a few pages a day. There are some very good workbooks that target specific grade ranges.
4. Read, read, read. Host and organize a summer book club where they are reading books and then get to watch the movies based on those books.
5. Enjoy and connect with your kids! :) You will be creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Thanks,
Jennifer
In general, kids respond very well to schedules and structure-even in the summer. Set up a schedule together that involves both physical activity as well as learning. The morning is a good time to routinely have kids read, complete pages in a workbook, interact with flashcards, or play board games. The afternoon is a good time to schedule field trips to museums, factory tours, or just going outside to ride bikes, swim, or play in unstructured play with friends outside. Another tip to get kids motivated to read is to organize a neighborhood book/movie club where the kids are reading a book that was made into a movie. Pick one that they have not read (or seen the movie) and then when everyone is finished, you can host a movie night showing the movie based on that book.
Here are some other great resources to read about more ideas on how to prevent the "summer brain drain".
For Pre-K-3:
http://www.greatschools.org/students/summer-activities/4909-keep-your-child-learning-all-summer-long-video.gs
http://www.greatschools.org/students/summer-activities/slideshows/4167-summer-learning-first-second-third-grade.gs?page=1 (learning activities page for elementary age)
Summer learning for middle schoolers:
http://www.greatschools.org/students/summer-activities/slideshows/4169-summer-learning-middle-school.gs?page=2
In summary, try and follow these tips:
1. Follow the 5-2-1 rule where they eat 5 fruits and veggies a day, watch 2 hours or less of screen time (includes video games and computer time), and engage in at least 1 hour of exercise a day.
2. Structure their days. Summer can make some kids stressed because it is not as predictable and routine as the school year. Create a daily schedule and set out certain times in the day where they are doing learning activities, field trips, physical play, etc. This helps kids predict their days ahead and reduces stress. You can even plan a daily "surprise" excursion where they have some element of spontaneity built into each day.
3. Ask your kids to pick out their own summer workbooks and complete a few pages a day. There are some very good workbooks that target specific grade ranges.
4. Read, read, read. Host and organize a summer book club where they are reading books and then get to watch the movies based on those books.
5. Enjoy and connect with your kids! :) You will be creating memories that will last a lifetime.
Thanks,
Jennifer