Summer Break: Opportunities for Learning

Summer Break is soon approaching! What plans do you have for your student? Having some academic activities or routines will greatly benefit your student once the school year begins again.

#1 - Be proactive about your student's academic challenges.
At the end of the year, ask your student's teacher(s) about any challenging areas your student should work on. Get a list of those California Standards to be clear of what your child must understand. (If you are not a California resident, your state's Standards should be found in the web.)
If possible, ask a teacher in the upcoming grade what kinds of academic tasks your student will be expected to complete at the beginning of the year. Are there beginning-of-the-year assessments? What will they cover? You want your student to be as prepared for next year as possible.


#2 - Develop a plan
Work with your student to map out the learning routine or schedule. How many times a week will your student study? How long will each study session last? I highly suggest at least 3 study sessions a week. For primary students (K-3), the session should be between 30 minutes to an hour. For older students (4th and up), the session should be at least an hour.


#3 - Incentivize

Sample Incentive Chart
(Find them free online, or cheap
from Oriental Trading or Target's
Dollar section.)

Discussing the significance of studying is really important. Emphasize to your student that practicing the skills he/she learned over the past year will make the beginning of the next year easier. A student who does not study over the course of Summer Break will experience difficulty during the first weeks of school.


Offering incentives for studying may be helpful in motivating your student. 
Use an incentive chart. For every session your student successfully completes, he or she can make a mark on the incentive chart, working toward completing a pre-determined number of sessions. (For example, after completing 25 sessions successfully, Juan filled his incentive chart and earns some sort of incentive.) 
Determining what the incentive is should be worked out between yourself and your student. 


#4 - Stick to It
Summertime is filled with travel plans, lazy days and spontaneity! Sticking to a study plan can be really difficult, but KEEP AT IT! Every successful session is your student's way of remembering important academic content and practicing those hard-earned skills!


In addition to setting up a learning routine or schedule, consider these options:

• Getting your student a tutor (older student, college student, active teacher on break, retired teacher, student teacher)
• Purchase Review Workbooks (You can find them at Lakeshore Learning, on Amazon.com or other retailers. Some sites offer worksheet pages for free.)
• Bookmark academic websites that feature online activities or academic games (for example, Starfall's reading games are great for younger students).
• Enroll your student in a summer program
• Your city's Parks and Recreation department may offer programs that combine academics with fun activities
• Research some Math, Science or Reading camps in your area (Because these programs tend to be pricey, ask to see an outline of the academic concepts your student will master upon completing the program. This will help you determine whether the program is legitimately academic or not.)

Bay Area Summer Programs:

• Camp Galileo - Specializing in technology, art and science
• Super Camp (UC Berkeley and Standford University) - Focuses on strengthening social skills, study habits and self-esteem
• Check out Bay Area Kid Fun and Berkeley Parents Network for more ideas!

Have questions? Comments? Additional resources?? Don't be shy!!!!!