Summer vacation is probably a child’s favorite time of the year because they get plenty of leisure time to spend with friends and family. This vacation causes them to spend less time on academics, leading them to fall behind academically. Therefore, parents and students need to make the most of summer to ensure that children do not become victims of “Summer Slide.” This paper discussed how parents and students could utilize summer productively.
First, parents could enroll their children in programs at local schools, organizations and libraries. Some schools offer summer programs for children at a relatively low cost (Nicholson & Tiru, 2019). Such classes help students stay updated on their academics while making new friends. Libraries also provide a variety of books that students can read while bonding over during discussions. Some libraries even offer extra fun classes like Yoga, which motivates the child to frequent the library. While organizations within the community may offer tutoring camps or sessions which could help in ensuring your child does not fall behind academically. These camps could also help your child with any subjects that they struggled with during the prior school year.
Secondly, parents can include academics in the context of other activities to stimulate the child’s thinking capacity. For instance, while cooking, the child can help with measuring and learn fractions in the process (Nicholson & Tiru, 2019). Incorporating learning opportunities in fun activities will motivate a child to cultivate a learning culture.
Thirdly, children should also take personal initiative to avoid lagging at the start of the new academic year. They should do so by setting aside time every day to enhance their academic skills. They need not set aside long hours since this could discourage consistency. Fifteen to thirty minutes a day are enough to sharpen one’s skills.
Lastly, parents should send their kids to summer camps. These camps offer a platform to put into practice the knowledge they attained in school. Children in summer camps experience challenges that they have never before. It, therefore, becomes necessary to apply skills and knowledge to overcome them. Eventually, they learn the art of problem-solving.
As discussed above, it is crucial to ensure that children stay productively engaged during summertime. Parents should enroll their children in local programs and integrate learning in other activities to advance such engagements. Children should also take the initiative to cultivate the discipline to ensure that they do not fall back academically. Parents should send their children to summer camps to enable them to develop life skills. The abovementioned solutions are not an exhaustive list of what could be done but a start point to making the most of the summer holidays.
References
Nicholson, T., & Tiru, S. (2019). Preventing a summer slide in reading – the effects of a summer school. Australian Journal of Learning Difficulties, 24(2), 109-130. https://doi.org/10.1080/19404158.2019.1635499
