Summer is here and all the kids are ready for some fun in the sun!
While we think there’s nothing better than having some summer fun, we know a lot of parents are really concerned about the so-called “summer slide.”
This is when kids spend the whole summer playing and pretty much none of it on learning. They end up feeling lost when they go back to school. It’s almost like they slid back, forgetting what they learned the previous year.
We get it – after months of schooling, a break is definitely due.
But this doesn’t mean learning should cease completely.
In fact, the more time spent learning during the summer, the more likely it is they’ll start the new school year well-prepared and comfortable.
It can be difficult, though, to convince kids learning during summertime isn’t going to be totally boring.
This is why S.T.E.M education Atlanta summer camps – like Bricks4Kidz Atlanta – are such great options for parents and their kids.
What do kids learn during their time in these programs? Can they really prepare them for the new school year ahead?
Learning and Fun in the Sun: What Your Kids Can Learn While Playing This Summer
Educators have long bemoaned the summer slide. According to The Brookings Institution, the idea of the summer slide has been of interest to researchers since 1906.
What have those studies found?
The research shows during a typical summer break, a student can lose up to one month’s worth of information they were taught during the school year.
Surely this just happens with elementary level children, right?
Actually, the summer slide gets worse as kids get older.
This is why it’s best to start making summertime learning a habit as soon as possible. Kids need to learn they get to have a lot of fun during the summer, but they will get to learn something new as well.
How can you educate your kids during their time off?
When you go on family trips, take a few moments here and there to teach your kids about something along the way. It could be about the flora and fauna indigenous to the area where you’re going camping.
Or, you can have them help you build a fence or paint the house, lending a hand with the measurements which are necessary for the task at hand.
Another way to continue the educational process is to enroll your child in a S.T.E.M. educational camp.
How S.T.E.M. Educational Camps Prepare Children for the New School Year
Researchers have found the educational/memory decline kids experience during the summer months is strongest in math and reading subjects.
This is why it’s so important to have focused learning during the summer – focused learning which is also fun, of course.
How can you find this balance between continuing education and fun?
Enter S.T.E.M. educational camps, like Bricks4Kids Atlanta.
What is S.T.E.M.? This is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.
Do these programs really prevent “summer slide”?
Absolutely! These programs are hands-on learning programs which engage children throughout the learning process.
Having had hands-on learning helps kids learn to enjoy the subject at hand and it makes them interested to learn more once the new school year gets underway.
Another perk: You’ll be setting your kids up for success down the road. It’s estimated the majority of jobs on the market when today’s kids enter it will be in the science, health, and technology sectors.
Getting them interested in those subjects now will prep their brain for learning new skills during their time in college or at a vocational school.
Put Your Kids on the Learning Path So They Succeed Year After Year
None of us should ever stop learning. There’s so much in this world to discover and figure out!
We should all teach our children from a young age to have a passion for learning. Doing so will help them succeed throughout school and into adulthood.
Continual learning throughout each and every year will prevent kids from the summer slide. It will also help prepare them for college and a career down the road.
We all know very well, as adults, we usually don’t get summers off. There’s always something to do and, quite often, there’s always something new to learn to help us become better and/or more efficient at our jobs.
By encouraging children to learn all year long, we teach them a valuable skill which will serve them when they’re studying in college or advancing in their career.
It may seem like a long way off, but before we know it our kids are grown. We – along with the assistance of those from specialized summer learning programs in Atlanta – can start teaching them valuable life lessons right now.