The end of the school year is approaching, and parents will soon be left with the dilemma of finding something for their children to do over the summer. Finding a productive outlet for your child is hard at times. You want them to enjoy their summer because they’ve worked really hard over the school year, but you also want them to retain their knowledge going into the next year as well.
Summer Slide is the claim that children lose most of the knowledge and skills they’ve gained from the previous school year during the summer months. Research on the summer slide phenomenon dates back to 1906. Early reviews on the topic illustrate a definite need for academic enrichment over the summer. Researchers found that on average students achievement levels decreased by one month’s worth of school learning.
Subjects such as math decreased at a much higher rate than reading which got worse at higher grade levels. The research also showed that reading scores for middle-class students got better while low-income students dropped. The belief is that middle-class students have more access to resources to keep up academically over the summer. Research shows that the summer slide is a factor in the academic achievement gap between students of color and their white counterparts. It’s time to take a different approach to the way we look at summertime. Of course, the water park and the family trip is on the menu, but BlackDoctor wants to help your child stay academically prepared 24/7.
Pennsylvania pediatrician and best-selling author of “Whose Bad @$$ Kids Are Those?,” Dr. Jarrett R. Patton says the key to summer slide is to keep them active and set limitations.
“One of the best things parents can do over the summer for their child’s development is to keep them active. Despite their objections, keeping your children on a schedule over the summer helps the