School’s out and so are the books!
With the long and laid back summer holidays upon us, whether your kids will be busy on the beach, visiting family and friends or playing video games at home, learning is likely taking a backseat for a few months.
Learning loss over the summer holidays, sometimes referred to as the summer slump or ‘Brain Drain’, is the loss of skills learned throughout the previous academic year over the relatively long period of time that children spend out of the learning environment. Studies reveal that between one and three month’s worth of learning is lost, particularly in the areas of maths and spelling. Consequently teachers spend the first few months of the next year re-training old skills instead of focusing on new concepts.
With the best case scenario being no learning loss, but also not gaining any new skills, and the worst losing up to three months of learning, the reality is that kids do not all experience it to the same extent. The simple solution lies in keeping kids’ minds stimulated and engaged, and here are a few fun and creative ways to do it.
An educational field trip:
Take advantage of your travels or even at home by planning a day out to a museum or zoo with your child where the interactive environment does not make it feel like learning at all. Examples close to home include the Heritage and Diving Village in Dubai, Sharjah Science Museum and Al Ain Zoo.
Encourage reading:
The skill of reading is taught at school, but it is the passion and enjoyment of reading that is the cornerstone to continuous learning. With either a visit to your local library or bookshop, encourage your child to read about their favourite interests or theme of choice. Reading with you or out loud to you is a great way to spend quality time together, and making it fun and optional also helps it not feel like learning at all!
Summer activity camps:
As well as the benefits of socialisation, sports, arts and crafts and learning musical instruments can all keep kids engaged in a less formal learning environment. Check out the summer camps in this month’s issue of Connector.
Games:
Computer games, game consoles, phones and tablets all offer thousands of options for educational fun that incorporate maths and spelling. Do some research and find one that suits your child’s age and learning needs. Using games encourages working towards a goal, rewards achievement and helps reinforce and consolidate knowledge.
Summer school or academic summer camps:
Back to the traditional way of learning, summer school or supplemental learning centres can be highly effective ways in maintaining and improving certain academic skills, as well as catching up in weak areas from the previous year. Ask teachers about available summer school options or consult a tutoring centre.