Reasons to Continue Learning During the Summer
- Poor literacy skills in the early grades have been linked to
dropping out, engaging in delinquent behavior, and having
far fewer employment options. (Community Update - January
1997)
- The single most important determinant of a child's success
in school, and ultimately throughout life, is not family
status, education level, income, or IQ. It is whether that
child's parents are involved in his or her education. (Anne
Henderson)
- A school encouraged parents to take the children just
completing first grade to the library five times during the
summer. At the beginning of second grade, those children
showed reading achievement far superior to children who had
not been taken to the library. (What's Working in Parent
Involvement - February 1998)
- When parents and children aged six to 13 agreed to read
together regularly, the children showed three to five times
the expected growth in reading achievement. (What's Working
in Parent Involvement - February 1998)
- Experts say that if we repeat an action every day for just
21 days, it is likely to become automatic. (QuickTips from
the Parent Institute)
- Exercising your brain (by reading) improves your memory,
just like exercising your muscles improves your body
strength. - quote from an MD on TV
Children need to continue learning during the summer for all the above reasons. By reading and
counting and adding, etc. they are exercising their brain. They are practicing
the skills they worked so hard during the school year to acquire. Practice will help them
maintain these skills. When school starts in the fall, the children will be ready - not lost &
behind!
Practicing skills during the summer does not have to be boring. The child does not need to sit
down at the kitchen table and do a sheet of addition facts. Make it fun!
- Buy a bag of M&Ms. Sort them. Count them. Add them. Subtract them. And when
you are done, eat them.
- Play Monopoly and let the child be the banker.
- Write words in shaving cream on a cookie sheet. Smooth it out and write more words.
- Write words in water on the hot sidewalk. Use a paintbrush and a pail of water. The
words will disappear when they dry.
- Read together every night. Ask your child questions about the story. Let them ask you
questions.
Where did the story take place?
Who did we read about?
What time of day was it in the story?
What did you like the best?
Tell me about a funny part.
Why did.........................
- Play Simon Says using body parts. Touch your elbow. Touch your knee. Touch your
cranium.
- Look for words on billboards that start with the same letter as the child's first name.
- Learn nursery rhymes. Sing them and learn the hand motions.
- While grocery shopping, have the child estimate the total bill.
- Hand the child a coupon at the store and make it his/her responsibility to find that item.
- Have the child figure out which brand is the better buy.
- Look at a map of your town. Find your street. Mark your house on the map. Locate the
nearest body of water. Find the nearest park. Find the school
- Feed the birds. Watch them. Learn to identify at least 5 different species.
- Read an article from the newspaper with your child. Discuss the 5 "Ws": who is the
article about, what happened, when did it happen, where did it happen, and why did it
happen.
- Cook together. Have the child figure out the measurements if you double the recipe.
Have the child do the actual measuring of the ingredients. Have the child read the recipe
and tell you what to do next.
There is no doubt about it. Parent involvement in a child's education in extremely important. If
parents help them learn and maintain their skills during the summer, children are more likely to
realize how important learning is.
Springdale Title I Parent Center
May 1999