When the final school bell of the year rings, most students don’t intend to look at a single textbook for the rest of the summer. But for parents, this school-free period is an increasing source of anxiety. If your learner has already been struggling—if, for example, they’ve required tutoring services in the past—you may worry that they’ll forget everything once they return to school.
It’s called “summer slide,” and it’s become a frequently discussed topic among parents and educators alike. This term describes what happens during the summer period when students aren’t able to retain what they’ve learned the previous year. As a result, they face greater barriers when returning to school the next year.
There’s good news and bad news. The good news is that the phenomenon of summer learning loss is frequently overstated, and often depends on complex factors such as how much progress each student made in the previous year. The bad news is that the recent years of remote learning have worsened students’ learning abilities, making summertime an especially crucial time to catch up.
With all of that in mind, let’s review how summer slide can be improved or worsened—and how tutoring services and other learning, like one-on-one brain training, can make a difference.
Understanding Summer Slide and How To Combat It
3 Factors That Can Worsen Summer Slide
While summer slide isn’t always as damaging as it’s portrayed to be, certain factors can contribute to summer learning loss. Understanding these contributors is important to minimizing any potential risks. Here are a few common risk factors that may be worth considering:
- More screen time. When the textbooks go away, students increasingly turn to their screens. However, screen time can have significant, detrimental effects on learning and cognitive development. It’s no surprise, then, that more screen time during the summer can result in greater learning losses.
- Lack of routine. School plays a big part in reinforcing regular routines for kids—and understandably, then, summer is often a time without structure. However, studies show that routines and child development are intertwined, so a lack of structure can also have an adverse effect on your child.
- Cognitive differences. For those with cognitive differences, school can often feel challenging at the best of times. Unfortunately, students with cognitive differences are especially vulnerable to learning losses during the summertime. It’s why so many parents turn to tutoring services or other options.
Tutoring Services and Other Ways To Combat Summer Slide
If you’re worried about summer learning loss, what are some ways to combat it? Understandably, you may want to be sure that your child can make the most of their summer, while still being engaged with learning. Bearing that in mind, here’s a few methods to explore:
- Summertime reading. When kids read during the summertime, it can help to reduce potential learning loss. Many local libraries hold reading programs with prizes and activities to stimulate reading, too!
- Engage in learning. When parents get involved, it can often motivate and engage kids during the learning process. For example, try participating in summer reading alongside your child, or exploring programs and activities in your area.
- Try out learning programs. Learning programs can create much-needed structure during the summertime. Tutoring services aren’t your only option—brain training can be a fun, hands-on way to engage your learner!
A Dynamic Alternative to Tutoring Services
When it comes to the summer, many kids resist the idea of tutoring services, but that’s not the only option for learning. At LearningRx, we offer dynamic, intense, and one-on-one brain training for all ages! It’s a great way to target specific cognitive skills, like memory, logic, and reasoning—as well as to focus on specific subjects, like reading or math.
We personalize our approach for every student, working off of their existing skills and abilities, so they can focus on progressive improvement throughout their program. Supported by a one-on-one brain trainer, it’s the perfect way to activate kids’ learning skills during the summer! This summer, explore one-on-one brain training as an alternative to tutoring services. Visit our website to learn more about our dynamic programs, or contact LearningRx at 1-866-BRAIN-01.
