Learning doesn’t just happen while in school. Learning should continue through the summer or during school breaks or closures. But students need a break from academics during the summer. However, during the summer students become victims of summer learning loss.
So how would parents help their student retain all that’s learned throughout the school year and prevent summer learning loss? There are tons of fun games, books and other ways to keep kids learning and ready to go back to school.
What is summer learning loss?
In the Fall, one of the first things students do when they go back to school after summer break is take a standardize test. Over time, the results of these tests have shown that students score lower after the summer break, which has led to the term known as ‘summer learning loss‘.
There are tons of articles and statistics about this issue on the internet, so I will not go into details about this, because my main concern in this article is for the kids to have a fun, yet educational summer and other school breaks that would also help prevent ‘summer learning loss’. There are ton of activities that kids of all ages can do to prevent student learning loss. But I am looking for activities other than those commonly listed for kids to do during school breaks – I’m talking about fun ways to learn about science and math and reading, and the kids won’t even know they are learning, but also saving money doing so.
Summer and school break camps offer great STEM and other academic activities that are also educational, but they’re also quite pricey. If you have more than one kid, it can really add up! Not everyone can afford camps. Studies have shown that students from disadvantaged backgrounds suffer the most from summer learning loss, and it is speculated that this may be because during the school breaks there are less resources available for these students.
What fun activities can be done that prevent summer learning loss? What activities and games are available to keep kids learning during summer?
That’s when I started looking around for activities we can do at home as well as outdoors while saving money.
STEM
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. Sparkling an interest in these areas of academics is super important. Often, parents resort to tutoring programs throughout the summer. There are also workbooks that kids can work on throughout during school breaks to help prevent student learning loss. However, while some kiddos enjoy workbooks, others cringe. I don’t blame them. Its like doing homework year-round. Luckily, there are tons of fun STEM games and toys for every age. Taking advantage of pretend and play games, young kiddos can learn just about anything. Young kids love to pretend to be grown ups, so a pretend cash register can turn into a way to learn about money. You can also get some of the fun games and toys teachers have in their classrooms to play with at home.
Teachers get their classroom supplies at stores like Learning Resources. This website is dedicated to having creative, hands-on educational products that are fun and safe to play with for grades up to about 6th grade. This store is a hidden gem for parents and care givers.
Make Summer Learning Interesting
I try to mix it up with projects that can be done at home to make it fun. However, doing science experiments at home can be a bit tricky, because we don’t always have all the things that we need. Remember the Mentos and Diet Coke geyser experiment that went viral in 2005? This is a popular experiment that can be done at home. The viral video was done by Steve Spangler. He’s a teacher/science toy designer that went on to create The Spangler Science Club – a subscription club where kids get a kit to do highly interactive experiments and hands-on activities. The box contains everything one needs to do fun science experiments, with easy to follow lessons that serve as an introduction to more in-depth experiments and challenges, to inspire wonder, boost creativity, enhance problem-solving skills and make learning fun. The Spangler Science Club has 3 types of kits to choose from: a STEM starter, STEM lab & STEM deluxe. What’s neat about this club is that it allows the flexibility to choose how many kits you want to receive during a month, and how many months you wish to receive them for. It also has a choice for a level of challenging experiments too. The STEM deluxe kits have experiments that require more critical thinking and tinkering. You can also save money using code SAVEME20 to get $20 off a 3 month (or more) subscription on STEMlab & STEMdeluxe.
Not every project has to be science project in order to maintain math and science skills during the Summer. Arts and crafts projects are also a fun way to learn. Anyone can do arts and crafts project, there’s also no age limit. The website All FREE Kids Crafts has tons of ideas for every age and occasion. Sign up to receive their newsletter. Its totally FREE! Enter your email and they’ll send you a Spring Crafts eBook for free too! They have a section for seasonal crafts as well.
Reading:
Keeping your student reading during the summer is a recommendation every teacher makes. Some teachers hand out a packet with activities and a summer reading list so students won’t fall behind on their reading skills. However, sometimes getting kids to read can be a struggle though.
Additionally, for kiddos who love to read, coming up with an engaging and challenging list of books to continue reading throughout the summer can also be difficult.
But here is an idea: Kids normally don’t get mail or package deliveries. What would it be like if kids get a package with fun things to do or read addressed to them? I tried it with my kiddo and it was a game changer.
I got him involved in picking out a subscription program. When the package arrived there was no issue with reading and following up on the educational activity instructions.
Therefore, a way to get kids interested in a reading activity is a subscription service
Also consider the free reading programs and story time that local libraries offers. No matter what library you choose to go to, story time is fun. Most are geared towards the younger crowd. This is a great way for kids to meet other kids, and for parents to take a break as well.
What about older kids? What’s there to get them reading? Middle and high schoolers like to hang out with their friends. As such, what about a young adults book club? Barnes & Noble started a book club especially for teens. check your local library and local book stores. None around? You can suggest it. Book Clubs don’t have to meet at a libray. Local coffee shops may be a bigger attraction, or maybe your home. Book clubs are a fun way for teens to connect with other teens, keep busy and have something different to do.
Outdoor Activities
Family walks is something I recommend every family do. Walking together encourages unity, conversation, discussion, sharing. Especially with tweens and teens, at a time when they tend to turn to friends. Encourage your kids to invite their friends if they don’t want to go. The idea here is to spend the time together, disconnected from electronics, and talking. You can turn your ‘family walks’ into nature hikes. Hiking is not only a fun way to excercise, it also prevent summer brain decay. Learn about plants, animals, the environment, etc. There is a FREE app called All Trails, that guides you to hikes near you. The app also tells you the level of difficulty of hikes, distance and other info. There is a PRO version, but the basics you need for a fun time are free. A hike can turn into a learning experience using apps that help you identify animal tracks, plants and flowers along the way.
Board Games
I find that some kiddos automatically say board games are boring. So what I do, is place the game where they can see it. Out of curiosity, they look at it, and next thing I know – they’re playing. There are tons of educational games available. Ever heard of Spot it? Its an award-winning game of visual perception that develops focus, speech-language skills and fine motor skills. What’s great about this card game is that there are 5 different ways to play, so it doesn’t feel like its the same game played every time. Spot it is so popular, that there are several versions of this game – choose from NFL League version to Gone Camping.
Teaching kids about money and budgeting is more fun with games. Monopoly never goes out of style. It is still as popular as ever. There is something about accumulating the most properties and making other players pay you! Games like Payday for example, teaches kids about managing money.
One of my favorites is Buy it Right Shopping Game, which teaches bills and coin recognition. In this game kids ‘buy’ and ‘pay’, so they learn to how to put the correct amount of money to pay as well as figure out how much money they should get back. Its for all ages.
One thing that kids definitely need to learn – no matter what age – is social skills. How do social skills relate to summer learning loss? While tests generally measure a student’s ability to read or do math, standardized tests use word problems and reading passages that require the student to comprehend and analyze. Social skills also requires kids to comprehend and analyze situations. The difference is the setting. One is with people, the other with books. However, the skill is the same.
This is why cooperative games are so cool. With cooperative games, kids HAVE to work together. Otherwise, they loose and the board game wins! They must learn to compromise, analyze, develop strategy skills and more. In Pandemic, for example, four diseases have broken out in the world and it is up to a team of specialists to find cures for these diseases before mankind is wiped out. The players must work together playing to their characters’ strengths and planning their strategy of eradication before the diseases overtake the world.
There are several cooperative games for all ages and all levels. Make it fun family time and include everyone. This type of games also help with all the sibling fights! Board games typically don’t cost a lot of money, and there’s usually a sale going on.
The resources available during the summer, or any school break doesn’t have to impact a student’s learning outcomes. While finances do control what someone can do or join, there are activities to do that are free or low cost to keep kiddos learning and prevent summer learning slide.
Online Academic Programs
Signing your student up with an academic program to do learning activities during the summer can be disguised with video games and online reading quests that are fun. The concern with parents is how to ensure kids are learning in a secure, ad free environment. While there are several free resources available online, you still need to be vigilant. If you don´t have the time to check your student´s online activities, subscribing to an online academic program can be convenient.
Age of Learning offers 3 different learning subscriptions geared towards different age groups. This is the company behind ABCmouse, Adventure Academy and Reading IQ. Each of these programs are free to try for 30 days. With either program kids are learning without knowing. Fun, interactive games in a secure environment for up to 3 kids that includes a parent portal so you can keep track of how your child is learning.
Preventing summer learning loss also makes it easier on kids when they return to school because they don’t have to spend time re-learning. Its also easier for parents who don’t have to Its a way to keep their minds learning, and the routine of reading or doing math doesn’t have to be re-learned.
Happy savings, TaLis
