Sunscreen? Check. Sunglasses? Check. Slide… into summer learning loss? Not on our watch! As the days get longer and the homework fades away, it’s easy to let those textbooks gather dust. But beware—the “summer slide” is the sneaky little gremlin that can cause your child to lose up to 20% of their school-year gains in reading and a whopping 27% in math.
Yes, while they’re busy building sandcastles, their academic skills could be tumbling down like a poorly built sand structure!
Why parents should care about the summer slide
The summer slide isn’t just a myth told by weary teachers—it’s as real as the ice cream truck’s jingle on a hot day. It affects many children, leading to a significant dip in essential academic skills.
For parents and educators alike, this is a chilling thought because it not only represents a temporary setback but can also contribute to a widening achievement gap, especially among students from lower-income families who might not have access to enriching educational activities during the break.
6 screen-free educational activities for summer learning
To ensure the only slides your kids encounter this summer are at the playground, here are some fun, educational activities that go beyond the screen.
Let’s dive in:
1. Participate in a reading challenge.
Encourage your child to ‘book’ their summer with adventure—reading adventure, that is! Local libraries often offer summer reading programs with cool incentives for reaching reading goals.
2. Conduct simple science experiments.
Explore science with hands-on activities like building a homemade volcano, studying plant growth, or observing the weather. It’s a blast!
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3. Use cooking to teach basic math.
Mix up some learning by involving your child in cooking and baking, using measuring cups and spoons to teach fractions and ratios.
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4. Make a splash with spelling competitions.
Make spelling exciting with games like water pistol spelling, where each correct answer gets to squirt the target, or crafting words in the sand at the beach.
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5. Interact with math games.
To make math interactive and enjoyable, play games such as addition/subtraction bingo or skip-counting hopscotch.
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6. Embark on outdoor explorations.
Go on a bug scavenger hunt or make a rap to remember the planet names, turning learning into an exciting experience.
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Using Lingokids as a tool for summer learning support
While it’s great to unplug, balanced screen time can be educational and a parent’s lifesaver during long days with restless kids. Lingokids offers a safe, fun, and educational space where your child can continue to learn during the summer. It’s not just any screen time; it’s smart screen time.
Here’s how Lingokids can help keep the educational ‘ball’ bouncing all summer long:
- Educational games and activities: The Lingokids app includes a variety of games and activities designed to maintain and improve reading, math, and science skills. Our in-app category dedicated to the Summer Slide ensures your child receives content tailored to reinforcing school-year learning.
- Safe and engaging: Lingokids is a safe space for children, equipped with parental controls to ensure a secure learning environment. It’s an active, educational use of screen time recommended by teachers.
- Balance of fun and learning: Our platform ensures that while kids have more screen time during summer, they’re also learning and having fun. The interactive nature of our games keeps them engaged and helps them retain and even improve their academic skills.
So, as we gear up for summer, let’s ensure the only sliding happening is on the playground! By incorporating these hands-on activities and utilizing educational apps like Lingokids, you can help your child stay sharp and enter the new school year ready and confident.
Here’s to a summer filled with growth, discovery, and fun learning!
More about Lingokids
The Lingokids universe provides original, award-winning, interactive content for kids, transforming how kids can learn. Lingokids creates games, songs, podcasts, videos, and activities that blend educational subjects with modern life skills to spark curiosity, imagination, and success in school—and beyond!
Want more educational games and activities? Download the app and check out more content on our YouTube channels!
