Kids looking forward to a long recess!

Remember when you went back to school in the fall and the teachers spent the first few weeks reviewing all the  arithmetic basics.  It was because much of what you learned the year before you forgot over the summer.  Oh, those awful multiplication tables! Kids do loose much of what was gained during the previous year and this can be especially true with reading.  It’s very important that your child do some reading over the summer so he or she will not loose those reading gains. A child may drop a whole grade level in reading if none is done over the summer. You might encourage the child to learn a new vocabulary word every day. Put the words in a shoe box and review over the weekend.  A visit to the library is important. Find a book that is not too hard but is of interest to the youngster and be sure the book is read. You might even give a prize for each book read.

This kind of informal learning can actually help you child improve his or her reading level when fall comes. No, we don’t stop learning over the summer and we are all teachers when it comes to encouraging our boys and girls to continue learning in a relaxed home environment.