Avoiding the educational summer slump

Children are out of school for the summer, however, some will be starting summer school on Monday, so commuters, if you thought you wouldn’t be seeing yellow school buses on the roads for a while, think again and drive accordingly. If your child isn’t trying to get ahead on next school year’s classes, there is no reason to let them sit around all day watching TV or playing video games. Don’t let them fall into a summer slump that teachers will have to pull them out of come August. Here are some suggestions.

Create a summer reading list. There are several reading resources found on the internet. Your child’s school may have already sent home a suggested summer reading list. Some schools have required reading over the summer that students will be quizzed on when the school year begins. Hartley Elementary has an iRead program for kindergarten through 2nd grade. Heard Elementary has Build A Better World summer reading program that works in conjunction with the Lanford Library. Houston County schools have several summer reading lists broken down by grade level. Jones County suggests its rising 9th graders read “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee. The Association for Library Services for Children has an excellent reading list for pre-school up through 8th grade.

Even vacations can be turned into enriching experiences with side trips to museums or attractions of historical significance. Anything to keep the young minds working on something other than clicking on their smartphones.

This story was originally published June 3, 2017 at 9:00 PM with the headline "Avoiding the educational summer slump."