5 Ways to Prevent School Break Learning Loss

Whether your child is spending three months running through summer sprinklers or one week warming up from the snow, private school breaks pose a risk for learning loss. Teachers work hard to keep your child performing at their best, but it is your job to keep them on track during breaks. By following these simple tips, you can ensure that your child’s brain stays sharp while school is not in session. Their elementary schools and middle schools will thank you.

1. Schedule Learning Time: If you have plenty of one-on-one time with your child, school vacations are prime learning opportunities. As small class sizes with student-to-teacher ratios of 12:1 exist at many college prep schools, the more instructional attention on a student the better. Use your 1:1 ratio to take trips to the library and to do daily learning activities together. By scheduling it in, it will replicate the obligation of going to a class.
2. Read Before Bed: Evening reading is a great way to establish a learning routine while not interrupting daily play. Whether you are reading to your child, or your child is reading to you, this is also a relaxing way to unwind at the end of a day.
3. Practice Math: While math is not as easily integrated into daily life as reading, is is extra important to keep your child’s math skills sharp during breaks, as these slip fairly easily. Schedule in flash card practice a few times per week to go through facts. For middle school children, a math workbook may be more beneficial.
4. Encourage Journaling: Writing skills are also easily lost during school vacation. Encourage your child to keep a journal, chronicling their school vacation adventures. Making it part of the school break experience adds incentive for your child to keep up the practice.
5. Sign Up For A Learning Camp: Check to see if your child’s school or a nearby university is offering a vacation learning camp. While attending a camp, your child can learn new skills, make new friends, and have fun at the same time.

While planning activities for your child, be sure to speak with your child’s teacher about which skills to focus on. Involving your child in their own vacation learning plan might also be effective, as they might have ideas as well. You already know the benefits of private schools, but it is important that your child does not lose these benefits while on school break.