Can you remember what you had for breakfast last Monday? How about two weeks ago? How about two months ago? It’s more than likely that you answered no to one, if not all, of these questions. So, if we can’t even remember what we’ve had for breakfast two months ago, why is it that students are expected to retain all of the information that they learned over a school year over summer break? On the one hand, it is understandable that teachers would not have time to progress students’ educations if they had to also take the time to re-educate them on all of the concepts they forget over the summer. But on the other, catching up at the beginning of each school year can be stressful, difficult, and seemingly impossible for students. For this reason, it is imperative that students continue their studies to some degree over the summer.
We are not suggesting that your child needs to be a full-time student over the summer – that would defeat the purpose of a summer break, which is a much-needed vacation from the stress and rigor of the school year. Nor are we saying that he or she needs to advance their knowledge and education – again, summer break exists for a reason, and children need to feel relaxed and not be under academic pressure during this time in order to be successful in the following school year. However, a few sets of practice exercises, notes reviews, or tutoring sessions will keep your child’s mind sharp, and prevent them from losing all of the precious information that they gained in the months prior.
Hiring a tutor is one of the best methods of keeping your child’s academic mindset healthy and active. Not only does it force your child to apply themselves academically, it also provides them with valuable practice for social behaviors in an academic setting. The right tutor can make even the most boring subjects seem interesting and can answer any questions your child may have on the topic, which can either give them an extra level of depth in the subject or bring back knowledge that they may have been forgotten. Additionally, contrary to giving your child a set of practice problems to complete on their own time, a tutoring session is a set amount of time, and once that time has ended, your child can immediately go back to playing or relaxing (I’m sure we’ve all had the experience of a short worksheet or page of notes take hours to complete due to procrastination or lack of motivation!).
Keeping your child academically engaged during the summer, even if just to a small extent, is crucial for their development and growth over the next school year. And, if you can find the right way to go about it, it doesn’t have to feel like a chore. By taking small steps to keep your child’s brain academically activated, going back to school after summer can be far less stressful and far more exciting.