Learning loss during the summer months is a real concern, especially after the challenging school year we’ve had. If you’re looking for ways to keep your child’s mind active over the term break, or just want to take part in some interesting summer activities with your kids, California State PTA has got you covered!
We’ve compiled the following list of resources and ideas:
Resource Library
These items and activities from our Resource Library will help you learn how to keep your kids’ brains engaged:
- National Summer Learning Association – Invest in summer learning to help close the achievement gap.
- Making Summer Count, from the RAND Corporation – A review of the literature on summer learning loss and summer learning programs.
- Six Elements of Great Summer Learning, from Summer Matters – Tips for how to have an effective summer learning program.
These are just a few of the summery ideas and resources you’ll find in the Resource Library. Be sure to check it out by using the simple search function!
Learning Heroes
Readiness Checker: Our Education Commission found this helpful resource for parents of students in kindergarten through 8th grade. It’s a simple-to-use tool that helps you check how your child is doing in math and English language arts, based on their grade level.
Using the results of quick on-line items, it also suggests some resources that can help you and your child use a bit of time this summer to get a targeted head start on next school year.
Summer Parent-Teacher Planning Tool: The California Department of Education’s Jumpstart Toolkit: Summer Learning Program can be used in a meeting with your child’s teacher to co-create a summer learning plan. It provides ideas for two-way communication and a chance for parents and teachers to share their observations of a student’s learning.
National PTA
Help Your Student Make the Most of Their Summer (and Still Have Time for Fun): Choosing vacations over summer school can be tricky, especially after such a difficult year. A good compromise is online, self-paced courses, which allow students to take their courses with them and work on them on their own schedule. Click here to read it.
10 Non-Tech Summer Activities to Build Language, Literacy and Learning: The dog days of summer are here—and many kids have a lot more leisure time on their hands. To prevent overuse of tech devices, try these ideas for non-tech activities that are fun AND promote language, literacy and learning. Click here to read the article.
Bet you didn’t realize that California State PTA’s Pinterest boards are chock-full of science projects, art activities and other summer learning activities! Click here to explore.
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