This ‘Summer Slide’ refers to the loss of knowledge and skills acquired throughout the school year. For some students, this slide could be as much as six months.
There are a few things you can do with your children over the summer to help reduce this slide:
Visit the NZMaths site to get some great everyday maths activities
Read with or to your child every day. Download information on some great books to read:
Write thank you letters and cards for Christmas presents your child receives
Buy a puzzle book and work through the puzzles with your child
Ask your child to plan a day out as a family. You could give them a limited budget and ask them to create a full itinerary.
Ask your children to help you in the kitchen. Pizzas are an easy way to involve children in the kitchen - and are a great way to talk about fractions!
Have a games night - play board games with them such as Monopoly, Snake and Ladders, Guess Who. Hunt out all your childhood favourites.
Ask your children to help out in the garden. They could even plant some vegetables and track their growth.
Get outdoors and get active - ride bikes and scooters, explore our local area.
Visit this site to get lots of great ideas for Summer Holiday activities:
Try to keep some routines normal. This includes bedtimes and food. Over the holiday period, busy days, late nights and relaxed food choices can mean that when school starts back again it can take children a long time to readjust to school. Maintaining some routines will help the transition back to school happen a lot smoother.
Trying a couple of these activities will help to keep your child in ‘learning mode’ - but most importantly have a fun and safe holiday.