HELPING GET KIDS THROUGH THE BREAK
Get the most out of intermission
Children in North America will spend, on average, more than 900 hours attending school in a given year. The average school year in the United States lasts 1,016 hours, the equivalent of 42 continuous days.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, many developed countries begin their academic years in September and end them in June. Some, like Australia, feature four terms with two-week breaks in between each term. Others go to school for most of the year — with various holiday breaks in between — and then get the bulk of their time off during the summer.
As much time as kids spend in school, there will be times when they are left to their own devices, including Christmas and summer breaks, and during these periods, it’s easy for them to forget classroom lessons.
This forgetfulness sees many students fail to retain all of their lessons over prolonged breaks from school.
To help ensure that those hard-earned lessons are not so easily forgotten, parents can help children remain intellectually engaged in various ways over school breaks.
Stick to a schedule
Try to maintain a schedule similar to school, with children waking at the same time each day and going to bed at similar hours. This will make it much easier to get back into a routine when a new school year begins.
Encourage reading
Set aside time for reading each day. All fit generally takes is 15 to 30 minutes of reading per day for kids to remember their vocabulary lessons and maintain ,their fluency and comprehension skills. Children may enjoy picking their own books rather than having a required ereading list.
Keep a math book handy
On long car trips or rainy days, children can do a few math problems to keep their skills sharp. This will help keep learning loss to a minimum. Math workbooks may be available at bookstores, or parents can look online or ask a teacher for a summer to-do packet.
Plan educational trips
Vacations and day trips can be fun, entertaining and educational all at the same time. Science centers, museums, libraries and living-history locations can bring to life information learned in the classroom.
Learn at camp
Many children attend camp for a portion of their school breaks. Look for camps that do not simply baby-sit children, but engage them through enrichment activities.
Take a class
Children and families can learn together by exploring new skills. Enroll in something educational and enjoyable, such as a music or dance class, a STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) seminar or something else that engages the mind and body. This gives everyone a chance to learn something new and have a great time together as a family. Parents and educators can reduce lesson loss over school breaks by encouraging families to remain intellectually engaged in any way they can.