At the end of every school year, students are eager to take a mental break and enjoy time off for the summer. However, throughout the blissful summer months, when school is a distant thought, children often forget information and skills learned the previous year. This experience is what many educational professionals refer to as summer learning loss. Learning loss is any loss of knowledge or reversals in academic progress, most commonly resulting from extended gaps in a student’s education.
When the COVID-19 pandemic shut down schools, many parents and teachers became uncertain about the educational futures of their children and students. School boards cancelled traditional classroom learning in favour of safer alternatives, including virtual and distance learning. In turn, teachers were required to find creative ways to present curriculum, without sacrificing the engagement and support achieved in a classroom environment. Physical school closures had a substantial impact on the learning development of students from elementary to post-secondary ages. On average, students from kindergarten to grade 12 were left five months behind in math and four months behind in reading by the end of the 2020 school year.
4 Tips For Learning Loss Recovery
What can you do to support your child and mitigate the effects of learning loss associated with the pandemic? Here are four ways to reduce COVID-19 learning loss:
1. Create a Reading Goal or Challenge
Instead of using a reading log, try creating a reading challenge for your child. Reading logs can make reading feel like a burden or a task that needs to be completed rather than a fun activity. Challenges can act as encouraging tools for children of all ages who struggle with finding the motivation to read. Friends and family can share monthly book goals and facilitate discussions about current readings. As a parent, you can also try rewarding your child when they achieve specific goals throughout the challenge. Rewards for progression can contribute to a sense of accomplishment, resulting in a positive association with reading milestones.
2. Make Math Fun
If “When am I going to use this in real life?” is your child’s usual response to math homework, you may want to add a little fun to the learning process. Not every student is a fan of math, and that is okay! However, math is everywhere, which means supporting your child’s learning journey is ever so important. Making math fun through hands-on learning and gamification is a simple trick to keeping students motivated and interested!
Tip: Grocery stores offer a convenient opportunity to practice math skills with your child. At the grocery store, you can estimate costs, create and stick to a budget, and use the scale to weigh produce. By highlighting the usefulness of math, you can help your kids find the fun in it. If you’re still stuck on how to take the stress out of math, here are 5 tips to help your child tackle their math homework.
3. Videos & Board Games to Overcome Learning Loss
Documentaries and history movies use technology to encourage children to learn outside of a typical classroom environment. When you think of throwing something on the television for your child, non-fiction isn’t likely to be the first thing that comes to mind. However, documentaries are often more engaging and entertaining than the usual shows and movies that children enjoy.
In addition to documentaries, board games are a fun way to engage your child’s problem solving and critical thinking skills. Plus, the whole family can get involved to help associate learning with a positive experience!
4. Professional Tutoring
Sometimes your child might require a little extra help to overcome COVID-19 learning loss. Professional tutoring is a great way to ensure your child receives the support they need to succeed both inside and outside the classroom.
Don’t Panic! Mitigate the Effects Pandemic Learning Loss with Scholars
Scholars offers both online and in-person tutoring with certified teachers and educational experts to ensure your child’s learning is on track. Contact a Scholars location near you and overcome pandemic learning loss with flexible scheduling and personalized learning resources today!