Is Summer Break Taking a Chunk from your Child’s Skills? Stop it Today!

As students return to school every fall, a majority of them start the academic year at lower achievement levels than their levels at the beginning of the summer break. This phenomenon is common across the globe is known as Summer Slide. It is also known as summer setback or summer learning loss. No matter what you call it, this phenomenon is dangerous for a child’s academic growth and over the years, on an average, a child may accumulate almost 2 years of learning loss.

Summer slide is not new, infact it has been around since the time schools started going off for the summer months. Education researchers are trying to understand this phenomenon since 1906 and today, after more than a century of searching and looking, they have arrived at a few conclusions. Let’s talk about the research findings on the subject and learn more about the summer slide and its negative impact on students of all age groups.

What is a Summer Slide?

As already discussed, the summer slide is the learning loss experienced by students during the summer break. This phenomenon is common across all age groups. Some of the key findings of the researches and studies conducted so far are:

1. On average, students lost almost one month’s worth of learning achievements during the summer break.

2. Summer learning loss is sharper for math as compared to reading.

3. The extent of learning loss is severe in the higher grades.

Cure for Summer Slide

Traditionally, educators used conventional summer school programs to tackle summer loss. Simple plans like reading programs proved to be effective and gave positive results. But that wasn’t enough. Children need help with subjects beyond just reading. This eventually led to summer schools that worked like enrichment programs for the students who needed extra help in multiple subjects.

Over the years, the role of summer schools has been taken up by online summer courses. They help parents and children maintain a summer study schedule all through the summer break. The best thing about them is that children can attend their classes even while traveling during the break. Summer programs have also become the key cure for covid slide by letting children study from the comfort and safety of their homes.

The Covid slide is the anticipated learning loss from the school closures caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. According to WHO, almost 1 billion children across the globe are at the risk of falling behind due to school closures. That’s a huge number of children

Fortunately, though, there is a cure for learning loss caused by both SUMMER and COVID and that is a regular study schedule. Studies have proven that only a few hours of study per week can help children navigate the summer months productively and avoid the ill effects of prolonged school closure.

A Regular Study Schedule — Summer Courses

The summer slide is a result of not having a proper study schedule. When children do not study and revise their lessons, they forget crucial information which leads to learning gaps. So, the most obvious cure for summer slide is a study routine. A simple routine like a few hours of study per week can keep children on track with their learning goals.

Online summer programs that are designed according to the evidence-based curriculum have proven to effective. Furthermore, in addition to academic content, they include hands-on or recreational activities that not only attract students but also result in effective recall and improved attention.

Accomplished online tutoring platforms like eTutorWorld, create specialized program structures that provide sufficient time on task, and work with policies and incentives that encourage students to be consistent. They also invest more time and effort in hiring efficient teachers and then train them in online teaching methods.

Summer programs can help students by taking up two main tasks. One, they cover/clarify the topics from the past and two, they prepare the students for future lessons.

Past Learning Gaps

Missing school is one of the most common reasons for ongoing learning loss. Students may miss their classes for various unavoidable reasons and often end up not understanding a topic or two. A summer program after school can help them revisit the topic/s and clear all their doubts before the new session begins. This will can not only strengthen their knowledge of a subject but it can also boost their confidence and help them perform better in the future.

Future Topics

Summer programs also come in handy in preparation for the upcoming grade. A well-designed program can introduce new topics that the students are going to study in the next class. This can provide students with a head start which may be good for both their grades and self-confidence.

A summer program can definitely save the day by taking care of the summer slide. However, online platforms must focus on creating engaging programs for students so that summer courses do not feel like a punishment. The summer break should be a balance of fun and lessons.

Summer break is a crucial chunk of time in a year that can be used as a buffer time to acquire new skills and cover missing topics. This summer season, keep your child in the loop with interactive and effective summer courses. You can also get creative with outdoor learning ideas, learning while traveling, lessons outside the traditional setup, new skills like a new sport, reading, gardening, etc.