Summer Success: How To Help Your Child Flourish Over Summer Break When School Is A Struggle

When summer break rolls around, many kids are excited for the time off. You may plan a vacation, or you might take the opportunity to spend some quality time together at home. When a child is having trouble in school, however, summer break can be a time of anxiety, because they are anticipating the new school year. Facing the unknown can be a real challenge for many kids, so it’s common for anxiety to ramp up when a child moves up to middle or high school. They may be worried about keeping up in class or about social issues with their friends, and this can make learning difficult.

The good news is that there are a lot of things you can do over the summer to help your child have fun and prepare for the new school year. From working with them on the subjects that have caused the most stress to looking for fun ways to incorporate learning, there are many ways you can give your child the help he needs to get through the summer without worry. Here are a few great tips on how to get started.

Learn about communication

Many children experience difficulty in school when they’re having trouble with communication. It’s not always a problem that can be easily diagnosed, so it’s important to think about the way your child gets his point across. It’s possible that he could benefit from seeing a speech pathologist who can get him on the right path. Research pathologists in your area and learn about what they can offer to your little one.

Make learning fun

There are many ways you can make learning fun. Depending on what area your child has trouble in, you might look for ways to incorporate math, science, language arts, or reading into their summer days. When you go out to eat, have your child calculate the waiter’s tip. Start cooking together as a family, and allow your child to help with measurements and reading the recipes aloud. Set up a shady fort outside beneath a tree using an old bed sheet, and stock it with snacks and books for a fun way to beat the heat. The more you can do to incorporate learning into everyday activities, the easier it will be for your child to get excited about it. You’ll always want to monitor their screen time, but did you know that video games can help your kids learn? Gaming can build your child’s problem-solving skills, boost creativity, and get them interested in history and culture. Find them some kid-friendly video games this summer and make sure your current internet connection has enough speed for fluid gameplay.

Review

With the freedom of summer often comes a bit of forgetfulness. It can be hard for little ones to retain the information they’ve learned when there’s so much swimming and playing to do! Help your child stay on track by spending a few minutes each day reviewing the concepts that gave them trouble. Talk about a related topic over dinner, or ask them to talk about a specific problem they encountered during school. There are many ways to approach a learning difficulty, but the best way to start is by keeping communication open.

Get Creative

Often, getting creative helps to open up the mind and can stimulate learning in other subjects. Have your child draw, play with model clay, or make up their own game. Talk to them about their creations and have them explain their choices. You might even create a board game as a family or pick up some instruments and play a song together, since music can improve spatial reasoning and other learning concepts. It doesn’t have to be perfect. The fun–and the learning–will be in the creative process. Another great way to get creative is to use educational crafting materials from Hygloss. Helping your child flourish over the summer doesn’t have to be stressful for you or your child. With a little creative thinking, you can ensure that they are excited about going back to school rather than anxious, and that the issues they encountered before won’t occur again.

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This article was written by guest blogger Kristin Louis kristin@parentingwithkris.com