Tips For Avoiding the Summer Slide
Have you heard of the “summer slide”? It is the tendency for students to lose some of the achievement gains they made during the previous school year over the summer.
Recent studies have shown students lose about 20 percent of their school-year gains in reading over summer break (University of Missouri- Columbia).
Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center wants to help your children soar, not slide, this summer, so we have compiled our top tips for encouraging language development during this time!
The First Step Is Knowing
According to Scholastic’s recent Kids & Family Reading Report, only 48% of parents (with children ages 6-17) have heard of the summer slide, while just 38% of lower-income parents have heard of it. Now that you are familiar with this concept, you can take steps to prevent learning loss for your children this summer.
Continue Reading
All reading is good reading! Whether your child is reading a comic book, cookbook, magazine, short story, or something else, reading of any type is beneficial for language and vocabulary development, reading comprehension, and more. We encourage parents to read aloud to their children every day, especially for younger children who cannot read on their own. We also encourage you to take books with you on summer trips and join a summer reading program, like Charlotte Mecklenburg Library’s Summer Break challenge. Books can be a welcome source of entertainment!
Use Summer Activities to Learn New Vocabulary
Summertime brings opportunity for fun activities, like tubing, visiting the beach, or going camping. Along with it, there are so many opportunities for your children to learn new vocabulary and rare words- words that are not used in everyday conversation. Some examples of summertime words are surfing, humidity, canoe, frizzy, and seagull.
During your summer activities, introduce your child to new vocabulary and narrate, label, and describe everything you are doing and seeing! Vocabulary is best taught through connections and concepts rather than definitions. Invite them to explain what they see too.
Toys As Tools
Toys are a fun, impactful way to encourage learning through play! For example, LEGOs can help your child learn to follow directions. Bath time toys, like stacking cups, can teach vocabulary, like pour, splash, etc. Additionally, many toy sets offer learning opportunities through themes such as space, travel or dinosaurs. Check out our blog “Toys For Language Development” for more tips on how to use toys as tools for learning.
This summer, regardless of whether you are going on vacation or staying home, visiting the beach or the library, or playing at the pool or with toys, there are plenty of opportunities to continue learning and developing language!
For more speech-language tools for your family, visit our blog and Resources For Families page. Additionally, if you have concerns about your child’s speech-language development, Charlotte Speech and Hearing Center is here to help! Schedule an appointment with one of our experts today by calling (704) 523-8027.