Unfortunately, I’m not talking about slides at the park. I’m talking about the summer slide that can happen when students aren’t practicing academics over the summer. After working in education for the last decade, I feel adamant that the most important part of summer for children is to be outside, to experiment with what happens when you get chalk wet or engineering a slip and slide, connecting with relatives and exploring new places. However, research shows that students will lose 20-30% of their academic gains over the summer.
If you’re anything like me, you learned a foreign language in school, but didn’t have enough places to use your newly learned vocabulary and now, several decades later, can barely remember how to ask where the bathroom is. The same is true for any new skill, if you do not practice it , the skill will regress. There is no need for your child to learn any new skills over the summer, they should simply maintain the ones they already have. So, you can resist the temptation to put on your teacher hat.
A great way to practice math skills is through games. A few of my favorites by category are: