From Backpacks to Briefcases:
Vincent Lyles
It’s no secret the majestic quality summer has for children. With three months of fun, sunshine and relaxation with friends, no wonder kids are quick to forget the time tables they learned over the last nine months.
While students crave, and perhaps need to have a break from the classroom, the lack of intellectual stimulation during the summer months can be very harmful to young students’ academic performance once school’s doors reopen in September. Teachers may spend months in the beginning of the new school year catching up their students to where they were before summer break.
For many kids, especially those in single-parent households, summer means helping out at home and watching siblings while their parents are working. Not every family has the luxury of sending their kids to summer learning programs. According to Reading is Fundamental (RIF), the largest children’s literacy nonprofit in the United States, lack of intellectual stimulants during the summer may cause average learning losses in reading of more than two months in elementary-aged children. Over time, this can cause serious setbacks for our children and teens in their education.
How we, as parents and community members, support our children during May through August is of utmost importance in preventing learning loss and keeping our kids on track in school, making this a Smart (and Fun) Summer.
Parents can incorporate simple learning activities into kids’ summer vacations that are both very helpful in preventing learning loss, but can also be very enjoyable. Here are some smart summer activities to try:
Read (books, newspapers, magazines, etc.). As long as it is age appropriate, any reading will prevent reading comprehension loss over the summer—even superhero comics. Provide incentives for reading: for every hour a child reads, he/she may spend an hour watching TV, playing video games, etc.
Hold a game night. There are many family-oriented games that require only simple household items that can be fun and still incorporate learning (without kids even knowing!). Designating a game night during the summer can do a lot. Check out RIF’s Literacy Resources on their website for game ideas as well as reading lists: www.rif.org/us/literacy-resources.htm
• Swap out video games for online educational games. Check out PBSkids online for some free games for younger kids: pbskids.org/games/index.html
• Cook together once a week. Teaching children to cook will not only help them learn to be self-sufficient, but can help with some of their math and reading skills (following a recipe requires reading and measuring). They will be extra interested once they see the positive response from their families or diners.
• Find a local library or summer program that provides fun learning opportunities for children and teens. There are a lot of volunteer groups and organizations, such as the Boys & Girls Clubs, that hold summer programs for youth throughout the city. Milwaukee Summer Youth Programming
There are many community groups in Milwaukee that offer affordable learning activities for kids, from math tutoring, swim lessons to local book drives. Joining a summer youth program will undoubtedly be a fun and engaging part of summer for kids. For our part, Boys & Girls Clubs offers five weeks of summer programming. Topics and curriculum vary from fitness activities, field trips to Milwaukee’s museums to learning about different cultural arts and diversity.
All of our summer programs offer fun, creative and educational activities that engage kids intellectually and allow them to socialize with their peers in a safe setting. Summer session dates and costs vary by Club. To find a summer program in your area, or for more information, visit our website to locate specific Club contact information: www.boysgirlsclubs.org/club_location.aspx.
Together, we can ensure that our youth have both a fun and smart summer!
Until my next column, keep up-to-date about Boys & Girls Clubs and other youth-related news on Facebook at www.facebook/bgcmilwaukee, on Twitter at bgcmilwaukee or on our website at www.boysgirlsclubs.org .