How to Prevent the Summer Slide: Tips From an Expert
Don’t let a year’s worth of hard work in school slip away during the summertime! While the summer is the perfect time for your kids to grab a break from school, they can loose some of their academic progress in a phenomenon known as the summer slide.
We sat down with Dr. Silvia Alvarez de Davila from the University of Minnesota Extension about what the summer slide is and how parents can take steps to prevent it.
How would you define the summer slide? What typically causes it?
The summer slide refers to the decrease in academic skills and knowledge that students experience during summer break when they are not engaged in educational activities.
This phenomenon is particularly noticeable in reading and math skills. Research indicates that students can lose an average of two months of reading achievement over the summer, and this accumulates over the years, causing significant academic setbacks, especially for students from low-income families.
This has been a concern of parents and teachers because of student’s learning loss.
The extent of learning loss can vary by subject. Research indicates that students tend to lose more in mathematics compared to reading during the summer break. This might be due to the nature of math skills, which require continuous practice and reinforcement.
In other words, it is the tendency for kids to forget reading and other skills they learned in school during the summer if they are not engaged, busy, or learning something during the summer break.
The students’ learning loss during summer is a result of different factors.
Typically, students change routines and have less structured time and fewer opportunities for academic activities than they regularly have during the school year. This can lead to a decline in the retention of knowledge and skills acquired during the school year.
Often students also spend less time reading than they regularly have during the school year, reading habits play a crucial role in mitigating the summer slide, Studies have shown that children who do not read over the summer can experience significant loss in reading skills, something equivalent to an entire grade level.
Conversely, children who read at least six books over the summer tend to maintain or improve their reading skills.
Overall, the summer slide impacts students from lower-income families who are more affected by the summer slide. These students often have less access to educational resources and enrichment activities during the summer compared to their higher-income peers.
What effects could the summer slide have on students when they go back to school?
When students go back after months of summer break without practicing their academic skill, [they] often need time to catch up and could lose a significant portion of the school year. Children can lose a whole grade-level’s worth of skills in the summer, requiring them to put in extra time in the fall to catch up with their peers at school. Teachers also need to spend more time re-teaching content from the previous year which could slow the introduction of new content.
Students could also lose study skills and need to spend time adjusting to the learning environment, regaining study habits and regaining focus after months away from school.
What can parents do over the summer to help their students avoid the summer slide?
Parents can take several effective steps to prevent the summer slide and keep their children’s minds engaged during the break.
Encouraging regular reading is crucial, as it helps maintain and improve literacy skills. Parents can create a summer reading challenge or participate in library programs to make reading more exciting.
Incorporating educational activities into family vacations can also be stimulating and fun. Engaging children in creative challenges like art projects or journaling not only fosters imagination but also reinforces writing skills.
Maintaining an active lifestyle through physical activities and sports can contribute to overall well-being and cognitive function.
Additionally, introducing math into everyday situations or using educational websites and apps can help children retain their numerical skills.
By scheduling these activities and making them enjoyable, parents can ensure their children stay on track academically while still enjoying their summer break. Use your imagination to give your children fun learning experiences during the summer. Parents will find making small efforts now will yield big benefits for them in the future.
What resources are there for parents looking to keep their kids engaged over the summer?
- Have your children make a summer reading pledge. Scholastic summer reading challenge is a program that allows kids to track their reading hours.
- Ask your children’s school about any summer programs that they offer.
- Look into your local youth-serving organizations such as 4-H, Boys/Girl Scouts, Boys/Girls Club, and YMCA to see if they offer summer programs.
- Explore your local library’s summer programs. Your local library may offer a wide range of programs from reading to teaching kids about other topics like using computers or bike and swimming safety.
- Contact your local museums and parks and recreation departments to find out about their free or low-cost summer programs for kids.
- Look at your local TV or radio station or post office, to see if they offer free or low-cost tours.
- Identify a local organization that provides short-term volunteer opportunities for the whole family.
It can be harder to manage screen time over the summer, especially if you’re working and your kids are staying home. How does screen time affect the summer slide?
Excessive screen time during summer break can exacerbate the summer slide. Research suggests that prolonged exposure to non-educational screen content can negatively impact critical thinking skills and lead to lower scores on language and thinking tests.
To mitigate this issue, parents and educators are encouraged to limit recreational screen time to 1-2 hours per day and instead promote educational screen use, outdoor activities, and family engagement.
By balancing screen time with other enriching activities, children can maintain their academic progress and even potentially reverse summer learning loss.
Is there anything parents can do to cut down on their kids’ screen time and also curb the summer slide?
During the summer months, children often overuse screen time while their parents are occupied with work, leading to excessive hours spent in front of televisions, computers, and mobile devices. Research tells us that screen time at home should be limited to two hours or less a day.
The time spent in front of the screen, whether it is work or homework related, could be better spent being more physically active and being outdoors. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that families make plans about the time they spend using media and the types of media, and make sure that media does not take the place of adequate sleep and physical activity.
Studies indicate that parental screen time strongly predicts children screen time. Experts have identified a number of screen media practices parents can establish, for example setting limits on time, context and content, providing choices, co-viewing, and monitoring.
Encouraging outdoor play, enrolling children in summer camps, or organizing playdates with friends can provide stimulating alternatives to screen time too. Additionally, setting clear boundaries and designated screen-free zones or times can help children develop healthier habits.
Involving children in household chores, creative projects, or educational pursuits like reading and puzzles can further diversify their daily experiences and reduce reliance on screens.
