I don’t know about you, but I find it extremely frustrating when students regress over the summer. We have worked so hard to get them to where they are, and then some of that progress disappears like a box of Oreos in my pantry would. Here are some ideas to help prevent the summer slide and #savethecookies
1) READ
This seems like such a basic concept. After all, we have been reading every night of the school year, why would we stop now? But so many kids stop reading over the summer! How can we ensure that our students won’t stop reading?
Encourage them to visit the public library!
Most libraries have summer reading programs. They provide tracking sheets and prizes for students who participate. Also, a trip to the local library is a great way to #putthedevicesaway this summer and have a little old fashioned fun with some real books!
Help students to create summer reading lists!
One of my favourite end of the year activities is to have students create short book talks to share with the class. As the class watches these talks, they write down the titles and authors of any of the books that seem interesting. This is a super simple and low prep way to help students to create summer reading lists! This activity and several more are included in my End of the Year Low Prep Activities package. Click on the image below to check it out!
Remember that Audiobooks, E-books and Graphic Novels Count!
Who are we to judge how a child accesses literature? Encourage your students to utilize one of these awesome mediums this summer!
2) Math DOESN’T Disappear in the Summer!
You wouldn’t believe how many kids forget how to add, subtract and multiply over the summer! It is so important to help these kiddos to see that math is everywhere and it doesn’t disappear just because we aren’t in school.
Help students to see the math in everyday life.
Going to the grocery store? Encourage kids to estimate the total cost of the bill.
Going to the movies? Have your kids calculate the total cost, with tax!
Going on a road trip? Have kiddos calculate how many kilometres or miles are left in the trip. Then they can use the current speed limit to estimate how long it will take to arrive at the destination.
Providing your child with an allowance this summer? Pay them in coins and have them practice adding up their pay.
You get the idea! By bringing the idea that math is everywhere to the forefront of your child’s brain, they will be less likely to forget these crucial concepts.
Provide students with meaningful practice opportunities.
I am by no means saying that kids need to be doing practice pages for hours a day. However, 10 minutes of math a day can really go a long ways to helping them to retain all of the learning that they have done this year! If you teach Grade 4 or Grade 5, I have the perfect Math Summer Review booklets for you in my TPT store! Simply print, and go! Click on the image below to check it out.
Want to have a free sample sent straight to your inbox? Click HERE to grab the Alberta Grade 4 Math Review 1 Week Sample or click HERE for the Alberta Grade 5 Math Review.
3) Have Fun…Outdoors
Summer is a fantastic time for kids to work on their gross motor, communication and friendship skills! Encourage your students to exchange phone numbers with their friends before the summer vacation. This way they can call each other up to play outside! These days, I am finding that so many of our students only “see” each other outside of school in the digital realm of video games or on apps. By encouraging them to go to the park, play in the sprinkler, or go for a bike ride, we are helping them to develop healthy relationships that exist in the “real world”.
I hope that I have provided you with some easy solutions to prevent the summer slide! Enjoy your summer and have an extra slice of watermelon for me!
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