Preventing Summer Slide (Guest Post from Cindy Alder)
Many thanks to Cindy McKinley Alder, co-author with Patti Trombly of 365 Teacher Secrets for Parents and 10 Quick Homework Tips , for this guest post Preventing Summer Slide Cindy McKinley Alder Summer Break is long and, often, when kids go back to school in the fall, they have lost a bit of learning. This is called “Summer Slide”. While the amount of time out of school is not likely to change, you can absolutely cut down the amount of learning loss over the summer months. The key is to make things fun and authentic. Handing out workbooks might be fun for some kids. But if you think your kids would just roll their eyes and protest, try to find some real-life (and fun!) ways to get them practicing their skills. For most kids, having some READING time every day during the summer is an excellent way to keep skills current over the months without school. You can read to them if they are young or they can read on their own. Work together to set a goal. Wri