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Educators School Districts, and Families Can Fight the Summer Slide
Educators and school districts can consider the following actions to reduce the summer slump:
1. Encourage summer reading assignments that are aligned with the
student’s reading level. This will assist the student to maintain the
reading level achieved at the end of the school year.
2. If possible, provide appropriately-leveled reading materials that help to
prevent the loss of reading level gains attained during the school year.
3. Provide links to free resources that can be downloaded for use in the
summer. The Teachers Paying Teachers website has many resources that
are free and signing up is also free!
4. Share a list of free or low-cost activities in your school district or nearby
that provide experiences that are stimulating and support learning, such
as: local parks and hiking; community pools; zoos; museums; art classes;
educational camps.
5. For students age 14 and above, encourage a part-time summer job.
Valuable skills can be learned through a job and students grow in their
self-confidence.
While supporting your students, don’t forget to intentionally make time for self-care. Be kind to yourself.
Families and Students can consider the following actions to reduce the summer slide:
1. Establish a structured routine: Make sure every day and week include
learning activities, such as reading, math, science, and history.
2. Integrate learning activities into everyday activities. For example:
Tuesdays are grocery shopping days? Awesome!
a. Example: Add the cost of two apples. Find out how many grams of
fat are in a cup of ice cream. Multiply the cost of weekly groceries
to find the monthly cost of groceries. Find out where the fresh
vegetables and fruit were grown.
b. Example: Take a walk in a park or at the beach. Calculate how
many calories your burned. Compare that number to other activities
for the same amount of time, such as running, sitting, swimming, or
sleeping. Find out the history of the park and when it was
established. Calculate the age of the park. Discover what was
happening in the world at the time the park was established.
3. Find summer camps or activities at your local library, churches, and
community centers, as well as the YMCA, Easterseals Florida, and Florida
Institute for Community Inclusion’s SOAR Career Camps.
4. Consider volunteering with your youth at a local charitable organization.
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