Recently, I came across a very interesting article on student summer brain drain http://school.familyeducation.com/summer/cognitive-processes/38453.html.
Working in schools I've seen first hand the effect summer has on students. While the article mentions that students lose one to three months of learning, I wouldn't generalize it to that extent. I would say the first few weeks of school are definitely a time of adjustment. It's an adjustment for everyone - parent, teacher and student. For students, the adjustment might be they are slow to process things as they begin to get back into a routine, for others the adjustment is more of a struggle. It is this struggle that can lead to frustration and anxiety. Being frustrated and anxious is definitely not a great way to start a new school year.
Keeping the brain busy during the summer is important to prevent brain drain. The article mentions several ways in which parents can incorporate learning into summer activities by frequent trips to the library and consider learning opportunities when planning summer vacations. In our area, the local provincial park has an excellent interpretation centre with a variety of kid friendly programming all summer long. Campers and cottagers can spend time learning about nature in a fun way.
Lastly, there is summer tutoring. Of course, being a tutor myself I appreciate the article's mention of summer tutoring. Summertime sessions can be a little less intense and maybe more fun that tutoring sessions during the school year, but they are just as important. Even one session a week can help keep the brain working. Leaving the student with a question to ponder for the rest of the week is a great way to keep the thinking continue in between tutoring sessions.
Whatever strategy is chosen, ensuring learning continues throughout summer is a great way to avoid brain drain and have your child begin the school year on the right foot.
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