The summer months can be an ideal time for students to socialize at camps, discover new places on family vacations, and to take a well-deserved break playing outside, reading books for fun and seeing movies. Keeping students academically fresh doesn’t have to be a challenge. There are ways to engage students with technology all summer and keep them actively practicing their skills so they are ready for the new school year.
A multitude of apps to practice math and reading skills are available for parents to download for their kids. There are also learning program sites that students can access through school or personal accounts. Once students have found the places they want to use, it’s up to them and the parents to set a schedule and make sure they’re spending part of their day working on skills.
Here are some tips to make sure students are learning all summer, as well as remaining engaged:
- Schedule Daily Study Sessions: Keep the sessions short. Thirty minutes for math in the morning and thirty minutes for reading/writing in the afternoon/evening. This makes it less daunting when there are many other activities kids may want to participate in.
- Set Goals: Let students determine their own benchmarks they hope to reach by the end of summer. It helps them push themselves to reach their own personal learning goals.
- Share the Learning: Encourage kids to have their friends join them for study sessions, or work with siblings, or even have parents join in on the activities. This helps students make summer learning fun and engaging.
With so many technology options to practice skills over the summer, it’s important to take advantage of staying academically fresh. Careful scheduling and goal setting creates valuable summer study time while still giving kids a break from the school setting.