School’s out. Should You be Concerned about ‘Summer Slide’?
If you have school-age children, you may have heard of the “summer slide,” a phenomenon in which students lose some of the learning they achieved in the previous school year over the extended summer break.
Educators and parents often voice concerns about the possible negative impact of holidays on student learning. There is debate about whether it actually exists.
Whether or not kids lose learning during the summer, they very rarely gain it—but the hot days out of school can be a golden window for kids who are struggling to catch up, especially in the context of pandemic learning loss. Just spending a couple of hours a week keeps the rhythm of learning and ensures that your son is at his best for 2024.
The arrival of school holidays doesn’t mean learning has to stop.
Literacy skills can dip over the long holiday break.
A study commissioned by Brookings found that students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one to four months’ worth of school-year learning. Additionally, they determined that summer reading programs were effective at raising test scores, on average.
Harvard University literacy researcher James Kim has found that summer reading programs, even home programs, boost reading skills in all kids.
To avoid the summer slide ensure your son stays engaged with reading. We will publish a reading list to help parents find books to suit their son’s interests.
Apart from the Literacy For Boys program there are a number of things you can do to keep your son interested and engaged with literacy, books and reading. Don’t forget all of these tips can be used to arrest the all too familiar “I’m bored” call heard by parents the world over.
1. Visit the library – most local libraries will run a reading challenge over the school holidays. There are also other activities offered such as movie days, guest speakers, craft. Libraries are full of great resources and ideas and best of all they are free!
2. Online Treasure Hunt – use the internet to search out book previews, author information, blogs on their favourite topics.
3. Share reading – why not read the same book as your son?
4. Read anything that is NOT a school book – there is no better chance to read purely for pleasure than during the long holiday break. Comics, magazines, autobiographies, sport reports anything that captures his interest.
5. Cooking – a great way to combine reading and activity. Reading a recipe, following the steps making the plans and best of all – eating the end product! Add some fun with boy-friendly recipes. What boy could resist the chance to make Lickable Wallpaper, Stink Bug Eggs, and Eatable Pillows? As featured in the Roald Dahl classic Revolting Recipes.
Brought to you by Tanya Grambower
