SUMMER BRAIN DRAIN
The final bell of this academic year is almost about to ring. In just about another 2 weeks, almost all schools will be done with the final examinations for the current academic year and will declare their most awaited Summer break. After the tireless studying by each student all through the year, it surely is a well-deserved break. However, is it correct to believe that this all is a “play time” for the kids? Two months of play time?
The answer most certainly is NO. While outdoor games and recreational activities like arts, crafts and drama are highly recommended, there is no denying that a student’s touch with his or her academics is of crucial importance too. The reason – SUMMER BRAIN DRAIN or more commonly known as the SUMMER LEARNING LOSS.
It is believed that lack of constant access to useful resources like libraries or classroom sessions for two months, the child loses about two months of grade level equivalency in reading and mathematical computation skills. Educators and researchers refer to this as “summer learning loss” or “summer brain drain.”
This is the time even when parents are completely worried about keeping their children away from unhealthy eating habits, excessive use of gadgets like phones and tablets and wasting time on TV. They want their children to do productive things to keep them positively occupied.
All students face summer learning loss, irrespective of age, grade or any background, the extent does vary from child to child. This explains why starting of every new academic year is a bit of a challenge for almost every child and hence for their parents too.
After school activities or summer programs can surely help prevent any brain drain. These programs, however must have an element of fun to keep the students engaged. They definitely have to break the monotony of the traditional school/classroom atmosphere. Programs that give the children a chance to speak his mind, express his ideas and by doing so getting to better himself are what we need.
Language skills take a major hit due to the learning loss. Hence encouraging children to participate in reading clubs is another fun way to get them to meet new friends, keep up their communication and keep pace with reading skills.
The aim is to hold on to the concepts that were developed all through the year.