Why Summer Learning Loss Matters and How to Avoid It

We all need a break from the school routines, but summer shouldn’t be a total break from learning. Academic skills are like other skills. You have to use them—or you’ll lose them.

It’s called the summer slide and it’s REAL.

It’s been reported that students can lose about 2+ months of learning over the summer if they don’t stay engaged in educational activities. Plus, summer learning loss makes back-to-school time really difficult in the fall. And you know what that sounds like at home: More stress. More arguments. More unnecessary struggle.

Take a proactive approach to your child’s academic future by including learning as part of your summer schedule this year. Spending just a few hours a week with Sylvan can assist your child in catching up in areas where they may have fallen behind academically, or in mastering skills that weren’t fully grasped during the school year.

Here are 5 ways to avoid summer learning loss:

1. 1. Help Your Child Fill in Skill Gaps.
      State and provincial testing continues to paint grim pictures of the much-written-about increase in learning loss, skill gaps and stalled development. Schools have made huge strides in doing what they can, but test scores place many students potentially years behind. As time has elapsed, gaps in education have only grown and the longer issues remain unaddressed, the longer it will take students to catch up.
      Bottom line: What experts say students need the most right now is high-dosage personalized tutoring. That’s not new to us. Sylvan has been championing this approach for 45 years. It’s what we’re known for. In fact, we guarantee results! 
   2. Get the Fundamentals While Moving at Your Child’s Pace.
      During the school year, teachers need to move quickly, whether your child fully understands a topic or not. Your child is constantly chasing a moving target. Over the summer, though, your child can move at their own pace. There’s no chasing other students. They don’t have to worry about the class getting way ahead. This summer your child can spend the time needed to fill in gaps in learning from the school year and build a strong foundation for the next grade level—or better yet, get ahead!
   3. Head into Big Transition Years With Confidence.
      Throughout your child’s academic journey, there are certain grade transitions that represent BIG jumps in responsibility and independence. Here are the big transitions to be aware of:
      -2nd grade into 3rd grade: Why 2nd to 3rd grade, you wonder? 3rd grade is the year that the training wheels come off. Your child will go from learning to read, to starting to read to learn. If your child isn’t ready for that transition, they will have trouble making that jump with the rest of the class.
      -Elementary to middle school: We’ve seen that the challenges with remote learning hit young students the hardest, so getting our elementary schoolers ready for the new challenges and harder concepts will be critical.
      -Middle school to high school: For older kids, the transition to high school and college/university academics can be a shock, particularly the rigors of advanced-level reading and writing assignments.
      With the Sylvan team focused on exactly what your child needs to learn for their grade level this summer, we’ll ensure your child is well prepared for whatever is coming their way!
   4. Get a Jump on Higher-Level Math Skills.
      Think of it like a math ladder. Each step builds upon the previous step. If your child struggled with a concept from this school year, when new concepts come around next year, the frustration will build on itself. The summer months are the perfect time to catch up and master any math skills that a student struggled on. With our summer math programs, we’ll tailor the lessons to your child’s specific needs and ensure they master the concepts needed to be on track with school. Since our curriculum is aligned to state and provincial standards and our expert math teachers know all the “new” methods math is taught, what kids learn at Sylvan directly relates to what they learn at school!
   5. Learn How to Tackle Ever-Growing Workloads.
      We expect kids to be master jugglers of homework, projects and tests … but most kids aren’t born with these skills. They need to learn them. Over the summer, a Sylvan tutor can help your child develop and master skills to become a more efficient and effective student, including:-Time management and organization
      -Study skills
      -Test-taking strategies
      -Research skills
      -Effective presentation skills
      -Note taking
      Imagine heading into the fall knowing that your child will take ownership of schoolwork (yes!), feel more in control and resilient (yes!), even with all the challenges of a tougher school year. Imagine a school year without last minute scrambles and nagging over schoolwork (YES!).

      Summer is the perfect time to build these skills for school—and for life!

Discover the Sylvan Difference This Summer

Our caring teachers are EXPERTS at encouraging and motivating kids to learn, grow and flourish. Plus, we also have cool activities to help kids stay engaged, make new friends and have F-U-N! (No complaints or moans about coming to Sylvan!)

See the difference Sylvan can make this summer … and watch your child head into the new school year with new skills, a fresh outlook and big-time confidence!