6 Ways to Prevent Learning Loss Over the Summer.

Researchers have found that kids lose as much as 25% of what they learn during the school year over the summer months. Most teachers spend the first 2 weeks of school reviewing materials that the children have already learned. With that in mind I have come up with a list of 6 good ways you can keep your children from experiencing learning loss over the summer months.

6. Create with Crafts
5. Play with your food
4. Experiment with Science
3. Work Puzzles
2. Play Games
1. Tell Stories

6.Craft kits and the skills of sizing, cutting, pasting, folding and other activities done while crafting are great ways for kids to express their own creativity and can reinforce math when they measure, fold in half and cut paper, string or fabric to the sizes needed. The complexity of the craft projects should increase with the child’s age. The skills learned with arts and crafts could develop the next fashion designer, architect or automotive designer.

5.Playing with food is another great way to keep math skills active and develop life skills at the same time. Measuring, mixing, dividing and fractions are all being used.

4.Science kits can keep children interested in their natural world. This can be as simple as a magnifying glass and bug box or as complex as making your own volcano. Follow your child’s interests.

3.Puzzles are still the number one way to develop cognitive ability, spatial relationships and other higher functioning thought processes. Remember to start kids with 24, 48, or 60 piece puzzles and then work their way up to 500 piece puzzles. For kids over 12 puzzle challenges like Rubik’s cubes and Guordian’s knots can still be very captivating and provide a sense of accomplishment when solved.

2.Games can be used for math, spelling, writing, and drawing. Trivia games can help keep facts about current events, geography and other subjects readily available for kids to recall. Keep games fun and exciting and kids will not realize they are actually learning while they play.

1.Kids love a good story. Summer time is a great time for ghost stories by the camp fire. Storytelling improves language skills. Have them write their own story or play and then perform the show. Add puppets or other props for more play value.

Most importantly have fun and activate your child's imagination.