Why Is Summer Learning Loss Such A Big Problem

Last Updated on: 27th December 2024, 02:44 pm

SUMMER LEARNING LOSS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM
Our children are sponges full of information and summer does a really great job of wringing them out and pouring all of that information they soaked up down the drain! In the fall, they come to school rested, sun-tanned and…well…clueless! Getting back all of that lost information that they learned the previous year is a struggle.

TAKE A LOOK AT THESE STATISTICS:
The average child loses about two full years’ worth of information by the time he/she graduates from high school…if she’s not involved in academic summer camps and summer programs for kids.

• • Summer learning loss starts as young as age 6!
  • It take up to 6 weeks for teachers to re-teach students everything they forgot from last school year.
  • Children often don’t perform as well in the first quarter of the year if they haven’t participated in academic summer camps and summer programs for kids.

PROBLEMS CAUSED BY SUMMER LEARNING LOSS
Summer learning loss puts children behind in school compared to their friends who did learn during the summer. This causes frustration and stress…especially when they’re seen as the “slower ones” in class during the first quarter of the year.

Struggling and frustration leads to low self-esteem. Many kids who aren’t learning as quickly as their friends who studied over the summer just assume it’s because they aren’t as smart as their friends. This ruins their motivation to improve, they fall further behind and that reinforces this nasty I’m dumb attitude.

It’s one vicious cycle! Unfortunately, cheering our kids on, holding up a foam finger and telling them they’re brilliant doesn’t always break that cycle! What can break the cycle is summer learning.

We’re not talking about the traditional science, reading and math camps that are no different than a class during the school year. Academic summer camps, summer tutoring programs and summer programs for kids exist for that reason! Before we get into the types of programs that exist, we’ll explain why summer is such a great time to learn.

SUMMER IS BEST TIME FOR KIDS TO LEARN MORE, BUILD CONFIDENCE & BECOME MOTIVATED
Avoiding summer learning loss isn’t the only reason why kids need academic summer camps, tutoring summer programs for kids and top summer schools. They also need ways to learn during the summer because the summer environment is the best learning environment for kids.

Here’s Why?

Reduced mental fatigue 
Academic summer camps and tutoring summer programs for kids allow kids and teens to learn their most difficult subjects at a time      when their minds are most rested instead of when they’re mentally exhausted. This way, they have the best chance at doing well….and    when they learn those tough subjects again in the fall, it will be easy for them and will require less studying during the year. Less              stress? Yes please!

Summer means more slip and improved concentration
When your child learns something during the summer, he’s more likely to excel in that subject and remember information because his brain is working with enough sleep! (Growing children and teens need 10 or more hours of sleep per night!) During the year, most children’s jam-packed school and extracurricular schedules lead to sleep deprivation. This makes their brains WORSE at thinking, problem solving, remembering, learning, time management and mental speed.

In the summer, kids can learn according  to their specific learning style
This point is truer for one-on-one summer tutoring programs for kids than it is for than group-oriented academic summer camps and top summer schools. Tutoring summer programs for kids focus more on your child than math camps, reading summer programs and summer writing programs for elementary students. How?

One-on-one tutoring programs can teach your child information in the way he learns best. This will eliminate confusion, allow him to play to his strengths, and give him an advantage in any subject that he studies during the summer. Teachers of academic summer camps and top summer schools can’t focus on the individual when they have entire groups of students to teach.

With summer learning, you control the time of day that your child studies.
Some people are night owls, some function better in the morning and some function best in the afternoon. If you’ve ever try to wrestle a night owl teenager out of bed at 7:00 a.m. on a school day, you know this all too well! Summer learning allows for more schedule flexibility, so your child can learn when her mind is most alert.

You can find the most flexibility in summer programs for kids (those that are one-on-one) because you can schedule tutoring at any time you want…even 9:00 at night!

With standard academic summer camps and also with top summer schools, the most flexibility you’ll have is the ability to choose from a list of pre-set times and dates. Some math camps, summer writing programs for elementary students/teens and reading summer programs have separate morning and afternoon sessions. This kind of moderate flexibility works perfectly for some, while others need a bit more flexibility.

Summer learning allows students to learn with fewer distractions.
The school year is full of sports, music performances, games, dances, school plays, and 6-8 school subjects to study…plus all of the homework! To the list of distractions, you can also add any social drama that’s happening at school…and the number of times your child Snap Chats with friends about it while she’s supposed to be doing homework!

Ah…school life… The point is, your child is juggling all of these factors, and every one of them creates a distraction from whatever subject she needs to focus on most. Top summer schools, private tutoring summer programs for kids and academic summer camps allow kids to learn without the distraction of the school year pulling them away from their work.

For some children, just being in a more relaxed summer setting is enough. For other kids, the distraction of being around so many other kids in academic summer camps or top summer schools is still enough to disturb their focus. If this is the case for your child, individualized tutoring summer programs for kids and teens are the best! (The classroom-type setting of some reading summer programs, math camps and summer writing programs may be no better than the regular school year for your child.)

Summer learning is done in a low-stress environment.  
During the school year, your child has to stress about all types of things. There are upcoming tests, papers and projects, performances, games, etc. With all of these deadlines and major events, your child is under a heap of pressure!

Learning and retaining new information when stressed is much harder than when the mind is calm. It’s much easier for a calm mind to learn! If reduced stress is the reason you’re enrolling your child or teen in summer learning, any environment would be fine, whether it’s academic summer camps, top summer schools, individual OR group summer programs for kids.

INVESTIGATE ALL  YOUR OPTIONS .

Summer Schools
There are top summer schools that have similar environments to traditional school, but they’re focused on one subject or one goal. For example, there are pre-college summer schools focused on college prep or getting used to the college experience.

There are also subject focused programs taught in a school setting, like group-oriented math and reading summer programs, and also summer writing programs for elementary students. Top summer schools are a great option, but they’re not designed to focus on the needs of one particular child.

Academic Summer Camps
Academic summer camps can be general. They can also focus on children with special needs, such as advanced/gifted (yes, that’s considered a special need!), autism, deafness, etc. Lastly, they can focus on a certain subject or group of subjects – science and math camps are very common subject-focused camps.

Camps can be very similar to summer school, but usually, camps allow more freedom for kids to explore the subject ways that they wouldn’t be able to during the school year. Academic summer camps (like summer schools) are not designed to fit the needs of one child.

For example, summer writing programs for elementary students will focus on writing skills in general…but what if your child is a visual learner, or dyslexic, or has great grammar but terrible idea organization? Teachers at the writing camps won’t be able to help with these individual issues.

Individualized summer tutoring programs done in your home or library.

Tutoring Summer Programs For Kids are designed to suit your child’s individual needs – from learning style to subject focus to schedule, etc. If you want to make sure that all of the time you’re paying for is focused on your child and only your child, this is the type of summer learning you need!

Aside from being individualized, this type of program can also give your child the same benefits as the traditional specialized math camps, science camps and reading summer programs.

BOTTOM LINE – CHOOSE THE SUMMER LEARNING OPTION THAT MEETS YOUR CHILD’S NEEDS
If you’re going to spend your money and your child’s time on a summer learning program, be fully committed. Choose the type of summer learning that most fits your child’s needs in every way.

If your child is standard/average in terms of learning ability, learning style, interest level and scheduling needs, look at group oriented academic summer camps and top summer schools. If your child’s performance and learning style is above or different than the average student, consider customized one-on-one tutoring. You have 3 months to make your child’s summer education count, so make sure it’s a productive one!

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