Summer break could lead to learning loss for children. Here’s how to prevent summer slide

With the summer break reaching its peak, kids who were previously forced to sit through eight-hour school days are now happily kicking back. Whether it means enjoying an afternoon by the pool, playing outside in the evenings , or just soaking in their hard-earned summer screen time, students all over Houston are taking advantage of the limited time they have before school starts up again.

However, that short three-month learning gap could lead to academic skill and learning loss. Especially among elementary students, studies have shown that students can lose up to one-fifth of their school year gains over just one summer, according to the NWEA .

For Houston, though, there are plenty of resources to help kids retain the information they learned during the school year and maybe even push their educational interest even further.

Jacque Daughtry, CEO of Literacy Now, a Houston-based nonprofit focused on teaching children reading skills, said even a few-month learning gap can grow exponentially and especially hinder students who have already fallen behind.

“If you’re losing that amount of time over the summer, then it builds every year,” Daughtry says. “Especially for a child who was already a little bit behind or a lot behind, it just keeps widening.”

With the pandemic dropping student test scores to historic lows, this effect has become even more concerning.

Here are just some resources and tips that can help mitigate this steep summer slide.

Online programs

Literacy Now offers a variety of resources for parents, including fun, creative, educational summer activities that can keep children engaged and their learning levels up during the summer.

Just some of their listed resources include:

We are teachers , which was originally meant for teachers looking for more creative lesson plans, offers plenty of online ideas for parents to implement at home.

Kennedy Center provides a series of online follow-along art lessons for kids held by popular children’s book author Mo Willems.

PBS Learning Media has a section targeted toward improving K-1 student reading skills along with other educational videos.

Museums

Houston is known for its over 150 museums and cultural institutions, many of which offer special events and family-specific activities.

The Museum of Fine Arts offers activities both online and in person. MFA offers free online activity books and do-it-yourself craft activities. MFA also offers the Summer Art Explorers program, which lets families tour the museum either in person or virtually through their website.

Children’s Museum Houston offers online activities, video activity booklets, and online exhibits, all of which are available on its website.

Contemporary Arts Houston is holding a community celebration on July 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. However, if that day doesn’t work for you, admission is always free, and more events are listed on their website .

The Houston Health Museum and the Houston Natural Science Museum are also free Thursdays. Check the websites for more details.

Libraries

Libraries are a great place to visit to keep kids active over the summer. With 44 branches just in the Houston Public Library, there are plenty of locations to choose from, each with its own set of events over the summer. The Houston Public Library is offering its Get LIT Summer Literacy Program for children in grades K-5 to help improve their literacy skills. The program offers 30-minute one-on-one and group workshops in English and Spanish at select library locations.

Harris County Libraries and Houston Public Libraries both offer summer reading programs for all ages. Prizes and various activities are offered in conjunction with logging in reading minutes through their portal. The libraries also provide a variety of free events, from storytimes to live theater performances, all of which are open to the public.

Get creative

At the end of the day, though, the best solution to prevent summer slide doesn’t have to be anything complex, and it doesn’t even have to be limited to sitting down at a table with a paper and pen.

Daughtry believes that even the smallest daily activities that can incorporate reading and language skills into daily life can be a gamechanger in preventing summer slide.

Whether it’s reading labels at a grocery store, taking walks outside and pointing out novel sights or even telling personal stories, this kind of stimulation ensures kids are less likely to lose their reading and writing skills this summer.

“By doing everyday activities, then it’s easy,” Daughtry says. “It’s not like, ‘Oh my goodness, I have two jobs with four kids. I don’t have time to sit down and do that.’”