7 tips for tackling the COVID summer learning loss
by Frank Milner, President of in-home tutoring company, Tutor Doctor.
These summer holidays are like nothing we’ve ever experienced before. It can be a struggle to keep children entertained and stimulated over the typical six-week holiday, so having the best part of six months is proving to be a huge challenge for many parents. Whereas children would usually lose around 22% of their academic skills over the summer break, research* suggests that, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, there could be a decline of up to a whole term’s worth of knowledge.
That means the pressure really is on for us parents as we get our children prepared for the next academic year, which will, arguably, be one of their toughest yet. As teachers try their hardest to bring learning back up to speed, whilst managing the safety and well-being of the entire class, attention, undoubtedly, falls on parents to take up some of the slack.
Perhaps the most important thing to remember is that it’s about balance. It’s crucial to dedicate enough time to learning, but also focus on keeping the summer holidays as exactly that – a holiday.
Here’s a few pointers to help manage your time, balance the day and keep the peace throughout this very challenging time for all.
1. Reading can be fun! For some students, they might be happy sitting down with a fiction book but, for those that aren’t, why not get them researching your staycation destination. Finding out about a place and its history can be a really useful way of turning a relatively mundane task into a fun one. If you’re not going away, get them to research your hometown’s history.
2. Get them writing. Writing activities are great for continuous learning, especially as you can make projects long, short or fun daily tasks. Regular practice not only helps improve literacy and handwriting skills but can also stimulate creativity and be an enjoyable way to pass time. Activities could include starting a blog, writing a short story, keeping a journal or, if they’re musically inclined, writing poetry or song lyrics.
3. Use maths at every opportunity. It’s extremely simple and effective to use maths as often as you can in everyday situations, whether counting the stairs as you climb them, laying the table or discussing algorithms used on phones. There are maths opportunities everywhere that children often don’t realise they’re engaging with. Take cooking for example; following recipes, measuring out ingredients and understanding how to cook uses maths and science skills, with some literacy thrown in there too.
4. Make days out educational. With staycations becoming many families’ first choice this year, plan day trips that can double up as educational too. With zoos and safari parks now safely open, your children will be able to have fun at the same time as actively learning. You could even set them tasks to do whilst you’re there to make the experience even more beneficial and engaging. Finally, when you arrive home, continue the learning process by encouraging your children to explain what they’ve seen.
5. Play board games. Being at home with family is a great opportunity to play board games. They can provide hours of entertainment for everyone but remember you can also play them in shorter bursts of time if being cooped up in the house for this extended period has caused some friction between siblings. Games such as Scrabble, Monopoly, Snakes & Ladders are ideal for children to practice their spelling and counting skills, dependent on age, without realising they are doing so.
6. Review last year’s work. Although children might not be keen to get their heads down in books, the first couple of weeks of the new term will be crucial for getting them back into the swing of things. Reviewing previous work is an extremely effective way to ease them back into learning as it provides the greatest chance of memory recall.
7. Use online learning resources. Nowadays, with many kids being glued to their screens, they often prefer screen-based learning. Luckily, a plethora of options are available at our fingertips, meaning they can be learning in an engaging and stimulating way that appeals to their digitally savvy personalities. BBC Teach offers great resources for all ages and subjects, with the Government’s website offering similar for all Key Stages.
Learning can be implemented in many ways and can help reduce learning loss during this crucial time. As students’ lives start to return to the new normal, promoting education and supporting them throughout these next few weeks is so important to help them transition back to school and keep them on track. For more information, visit www.tutordoctor.co.uk
Sources:
* Northumbria University: Learning loss and the implications for Covid-19 and school closures.