Summer Learning Loss: What It Is and How to Prevent It
Families across the region are packing their beach bags and stocking up on sunscreen, looking forward to the relaxed days that come with summer break. Our children have worked hard all school year and, let’s be honest, we parents have worked hard, too! From late nights helping with homework after soccer practice, to an early-morning, last-minute study session over breakfast, families are welcoming the break from school with open arms. We’ve earned this.
But just when you think you have a few months free of academics, you stumble across a media report warning you about summer learning loss. Summer learning … what? Rest assured, there are simple and fun ways to prevent summer learning loss and have your child walking through those school doors in September feeling confident and prepared for the new year of learning ahead. And as a bonus, it will make those first few months of the school year much more enjoyable for you, too.
So, just what is summer learning loss? Much of our knowledge on the topic comes to us from a 1996 study by the American Educational Research Association that continues to guide our understanding of summer learning loss prevention to this day. We learn from this study that when children are not actively using and building upon what they’ve learned from the previous school year over during those summer months, they lose minimally the equivalent of about one month of learning.
As you probably figured, this means that they are starting the school year with a learning deficit. While educators are well-versed on the data surrounding summer learning loss, they simply do not have the time to build one to two months of review into their curriculum. The result then becomes evident in lower test scores, frustration in the classroom and with homework, and ultimately reduced self-esteem and self-efficacy in your child. And it is important for us to know that the more advanced our children are in their education, the greater impact summer learning loss has. So, while it is relevant to your kindergartner, it is more significantly going to impact your eighth-grader.
Also important to note is that research shows that the damage is heftier in math than in literacy, meaning that summer reading alone won’t be enough to prevent learning loss from hitting your home. So, while you’re loading your beach chairs and packing your coolers, here are some other summer essentials and fun ways you can combat summer learning loss for your family.
Team work makes the summer learning dream work: At the root of all learning is relationship, and you are an important part of your child’s educational journey. Parental involvement in learning is a high indicator of academic success. Therefore, combating summer learning loss must be a collaborative effort. Relationship in summer learning happens in several steps:
First, talk with your child about their preferred way to learn (do they prefer apps, workbooks, activities, or a combination?) and involve them in selecting their learning materials. Be careful to not skip this step, as this gives them buy-in to the process.
Once you have established the tools your child will use to bridge them from one grade to the next, you then work with them to establish a schedule for when the work is to be done. This should be a consistent time built into your daily routine in order to create a summer learning habit, and therefore optimal summer learning success. Make sure that the time you’ve agreed upon is a time that works with your schedule, too, because this next step also involves you!
Each day, identify with your child what their learning activity will be for that day. After identifying the learning activity, review with them what is expected of them for this activity, and provide them with the level of support they require to work through the activity. This will look different dependent upon your child’s age and abilities.
Once the activity is completed, review the work with your child and praise, praise, praise! Your kids will love this engaging time with you and the positivity they receive from doing the work. This also helps to encourage your child’s positive association with education.
15 minutes a day: Believe it or not, that’s all it takes! The good news is that we don’t need to recreate an entire school day in order to prevent summer learning loss. All we need to do is build on those skills that they just wrapped up learning in June so they don’t lose them. And by keeping it at 15 minutes per day, we are better able to realistically work the activity into our summer schedule and keep it as painless as possible. Please note this does not include reading for leisure, which can (and should!) happen in an abundance over the summer.
Screen time … no, really! As much as we might not like to admit it, our kids long for time on their electronic devices. Parents can feel good about handing over those devices by being intentional about the applications that their children engage with on those screens. There are many entertaining educational apps that will support your child this summer. Based on your child’s grade and skill level, I encourage you to conduct a web search on the best educational applications. You can find apps that fit your budget (many are free) and fit your child’s learning profile. You may already be familiar with some from your child’s teacher, and I encourage you to continue those throughout the summer, as well.
Apply, apply, apply: Sunscreen isn’t the only thing we’re applying this summer! Finding practical and meaningful ways to apply what your child is learning throughout the day is a great way to supplement their learning. This can look like having your child help you read the analog clock, identifying shapes while you’re out on the road, or calculating your total for dinner at your local pizza place. Maybe it looks like counting your change from Wawa, talking about what you know about marine life as you listen to the waves crash on the shore line, or asking them what’s happening in the book they’re reading and what they think might happen next. The possibilities for applying their skills and knowledge are endless.
Lastly, never underestimate the power of a simple experience. Learning can happen in all places and at all times. Take a bike ride, go on a hike, visit the zoo, see a movie, or just lay in the grass and look up at the sky. Learning happens where we seek opportunities for it. Wishing you and your family a fun-filled and learning-filled summer!
References: Harris, C., Nye, B., Charlton, K., Lindsay, J. & Greathouse, S. (1996). The Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-Analytic Review. Review of Educational Research. 66(3), 227-268. doi.org/10.2307/1170523