Ah! It’s summer, one of my favorite season of the year. You can enjoy all of the outdoor activities and soak up the sun. But, what about school? Do you close the books and not look at anything again until the week before school begins? If you do, I’d like to propose an idea to consider. Those academic skills and concepts that your student learned this past year need a bit of review in order for them to become solidified. There is evidence that shows that there is such a thing as Summer Slump. So, instead of being frustrated at the beginning of the school year with blank stares when you ask a question that they knew in May, do a bit of reviewing each week. I’d even dare to say, every day. Here are some ideas to keep those brains active:
Summer Reading Programs- Join the library reading program or create your own. It’s not bribing, it’s incentivizing. 🙂 This is crucial to be reading daily for new readers and those who struggle. Also, grab a book and read too. Modeling shows your child the importance of reading.
Writing- Have a question of the day written in a small notebook. Leave it on your child’s pillow at bed time and allow them to answer it before they go to sleep. I set a timer of 10 minutes for lights out. You can also put it by their plate in the morning or in a favorite spot. My kids were encouraged to ask me a question and leave it on my pillow or my desk. It was fun to see what they were going to ask me. Sometimes they were silly questions, but other times they were insightful. Some questions to ask: What is your favorite animal/ why? If you could travel anywhere, where would you choose/ why? What is your favorite: snack/ meal/ restaurant?
Beginning writers/ readers- Give your child sticky notes and let them label things around the house. There’s just something about getting to do an activity that is not typically allowed that causes kids to be willing to try it. You can also use this same idea and you write simple words in places throughout the room (or house) for your child to read.
Cooking- What a great way to have practical application of fractions, measuring, following directions, adding, calculating time, discussing nutrition, etc. Start with dessert because if something goes awry, dinner won’t be ruined. I once added 1 1/2 cups of water to the brownie mix when I first began baking- whoops!
Math Facts Review- Yep, it’s important to be able to know those addition/ subtraction, multiplication/division facts without having to think about it. This knowledge helps a student to quickly calculate difficult problems, leads to fewer mistakes, and takes less time. Does it have to be flash cards and worksheets of 50 problems? No, there are other ways to make it more engaging. Your student can play online games. Check out this website for lots of great places for your children to use. Always check out the sites yourself before allowing your student access. https://www.differentiatedteaching.com/math-fact-games/
If you are limiting your child’s time on electronic devices you can make up your own games. For instance:
Concentration- Use flashcards that have the problem on one card and the answer on the other card. Shuffle the cards and create rows with all of the flashcards facing down so you can not see the problem or answer. Take turns by choosing two cards and turning them face up. If it is a match, then you keep it and continue until you miss. The person with the most matches wins. Free flashcards-Teachers Pay Teachers has free and others you must pay.
Go Fish with Flashcards- Deal just the problem cards to players and the “pond” will have the answers.
Twister- Use the Twister game and attach index cards to the colored dots with the answers . You call out the problem (11-5) and the kids have to find the dot with the 6 on it. You will need several problems with that answer to extend the time of the game. You can use this for phonics too. Place vowels on the colored dots and say words with short vowels. (cap, cup, dab, dub, bud, bid, bed, bad, etc.)
Have fun!
~Lisa~
When I meet with parents for homeschool assessments I recommend their child read some each day throughout the summer and if they are younger, math facts are reviewed too. As much as I hated math packets myself as a youngster, I can look back and see the value for having to review.
Schoolmarm Ohio 