For many of us, memories of our childhood summers stir up warm and fuzzy feelings inside. Memories of long pool days, lack of schedules, sleeping in, playing outside, and family vacations flood our minds. I used to live for summers as a child, and I think I loved them even more as a teenager and college student. Now as a mom, I still love everything about the summer months — except for maybe the Houston heat and humidity. As much as we believe summers are for being footloose and fancy-free, we’re teaming up with Sylvan Learning today to talk about the importance of incorporating some type of learning for children during the summer months.
Avoid Summer Learning Loss
Data shows that most students experience learning loss when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. It’s a fact that students frequently score lower on tests at the end of the summer than they do if tested, with the same test, at the beginning of the summer. Studies show that some students lost one to three months of learning over the course of a summer break. And according to Sylvan Learning experts, it only takes two hours a week to keep skills fresh during the summer.
Reap the Benefits of Going Beyond The Classroom
Whether your child is more in need of tutoring or a robotics {think building robots out of Legos!} camp, there is some benefit to being somewhere other than a classroom and a school. When traditional, academic tutoring is involved, Sylvan uses a diagnostic assessment to plan a student’s personalized program based on their individual needs. This is so beneficial since much of a child’s education in the classroom is based on the needs of ALL children in that grade as opposed to their individual needs as students.
Learn New Skills
We can use this freedom in our schedules to allow our children to test and try out new skills. Maybe they’ll like it. Maybe they won’t. Maybe they will discover a hidden talent or spark a new interest! Sylvan offers a variety of summer activities and camps fit for a variety of ages and is sure to have something that your child will enjoy. Using cool technology, like STEM {Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math} and robotics, Sylvan allows the students to have fun all while keeping them engaged in learning. In their robotics classes, each child is paired with a buddy, and they work together to plan and build a new robot using LEGO® bricks, letting their creativity and imagination loose. Along the way, they learn science and engineering concepts, such as how pulleys, levers, and motors work.
Strengthen Weaknesses
Maybe your child is behind in reading? Maybe he or she is struggling with math? Summer is a great time to close that gap and bring your child up to pace with other students. Sylvan offers tutoring in math, reading, or writing. They also strive to make learning cool for kids – with interactive lessons taught on iPads® and a fun rewards system which proves to be highly motivating for students. Sylvan uses certified teachers to re-teach skills that a student isn’t able to do independently. At Sylvan, children can go at their own pace, in a less structured environment and with a smaller ratio of kids, which tends to help them feel more comfortable about learning and trying new things.
Build Confidence
Tutoring provides children with strategies to increase understanding. This increased understanding leads to more confidence for our students. Summer learning can put many children ahead of the game for the following school year. Sylvan uses strategies that target your child’s confidence and help him/her start the upcoming school year on a good foot. It’s not just for children who are struggling — Sylvan is also for those children who perform at-level or above! This boost in confidence, plus the continual learning during the summer months, will also allow for an easier adjustment come August when school starts up again.
Sylvan Learning has centers all over Houston — Katy, Sugar Land, Clear Lake, Pearland, and Champions! They provide convenient schedules for both tutoring and camps! The hours are very accommodating with all centers open until 8 p.m., and they provide weekend hours. They accept students from pre-K all the way to college and adult level.