One question I get asked a lot is why is it important for students to do “school work” over the summer? Knowledge from school is like anything else in life, if you don’t use it, you will lose it. Think back to all the things that students learn over the school year. They have math, reading, writing, grammar, and science; we expect students to remember all of this for the following year so that the next year’s teacher can build on it. For example, in third grade the students learn about unit fractions. In fourth grade they are expected to not only know what a unit fraction is, but be able to learn how to add unit fractions together. If students do nothing to practice this concept over the three months they have off, they are likely to forget this small skill, which will very likely put them behind for the next school year.

It is well documented that students who do nothing over the summer will decline by at least 2 months of reading levels. So what can you do to help?

1. Encourage your child to read and do something educational over the summer. Take your student to the library. Many libraries offer incentives that if students read a given amount of books over the summer they can be entered into a raffle. However, don’t just take the students to the library, ask the students questions about what they have read. Ask about the main characters, and what is happening in the story.

2. Practice math facts, spelling words, and vocabulary words with your students. Students who know their math facts with mastery are able to tell the answer to a math problem within 3 seconds, or at least 20 problems in a minute. With the technology out there, you can have students learn and review grade specific vocabulary with quizlet.

3. Speaking of technology, we need to be mindful of the amount of time students are spending in front of a screen, and encourage students to complete tasks not that does not include screen time. In 2013, the US department of Health suggested two hours of leisure screen time should be the maximum amount of time per day for all children over the age of two years old. The more kids explore and investigate things on their own, the more students are likely to learn and discover things that interest them. These interests could help them in their future.

4. Finally, there are a multitude of “review” guides out there for different grades. Or, you can always see a qualified tutoring center that will help review and prepare your student for the upcoming school year.

The summer slump is a real issue. As a teacher, I always wished that I didn’t have to spend the first month of school reviewing everything that the students learned previously, however it is necessary because of the slump. Teachers around the United States would greatly appreciate any time you would put into helping your students over the summer practice things that they have learned over the summer. 20 minutes of reading and 10 minutes of practicing spelling words would be ideal. This is why a lot of private schools require summer packets, because they help so much with the summer slump. So, how are you going to help your child avoid the summer slump?