Although summer is supposed to be a break and your child is looking forward to no classes, there are many benefits to continuing studies throughout the summer. Because they are at a critical period in their development, younger children are more vulnerable to learning loss. “In general, kids learn a lot more in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade than kids in middle school or high school, because learning follows a curve where it’s accelerated early in life and then plateaus,” says James Kim, Ed.D., an assistant professor of education at Harvard University. “Things like decoding, letter knowledge, and word reading skills are very susceptible to decay without frequent practice, as are math facts like addition and subtraction.”
The good news is that basic skills aren’t difficult to keep up throughout the off-season, here are 5 reasons why summer learning is important for the development of your child.
- Keeps Their Minds Sharp and Stimulated. Keeping students engaged during long holidays is important and avoids them from experiencing brain drain and facing setbacks when September starts. Teachers can spend 4-6 weeks re-teaching students material that was lost over the summer months and students spend the same amount of time trying to reintegrate back into a learning environment.
- Focus on Challenging Subjects. Instead of the fast-paced academic year, students can highlight and concentrate on one subject at a time. Extra attention can help pupils grasp the fundamentals and feel secure going into the next year.
- Promotes a Love of Learning. Children have more control over what they want to learn and how they want to learn during the holidays. Your child may want to enrol in a summer camp and participate in sports or music, or they may want to join in a performing arts class and get more involved in a play. The world is their playground when it comes to extra learning over the summer. As a result, encourage your child to find and pursue a new interest.
- Summer Learning Helps Maintain Routine. Don’t abandon all habits during the summer; otherwise, you’ll be in for a major battle near the end of the vacation! Children benefit from routines, and learning throughout the summer can provide them with the security and stability they desire.
- Builds Confidence. While some children are born with more confidence than others, educational challenges or classroom difficulties can diminish confidence and emotional well-being over time. Summer learning can help increase your child’s confidence, transforming an under confident learner into a student who not only faces challenges head on, but also actively likes solving new problems.
For more information on our summer learning programs, connect with us online!
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