Summer vacation is almost here and many parents ask, “should I give my kids a break?” Many kids will spend their summer vacation focused on anything but schoolwork. While the break is an important time for families to relax, have some fun and energize themselves for next school year, it is also an opportune time for children to reinforce what they learned during the school year. Mathnasium of Smyrna, a math learning center based in Smyrna, GA, offers math programs year-round to prevent summer learning loss. Here, they explain how such services can benefit students and prepare them for the future.

Prevent Summer Learning Loss

A John Hopkins study reveals that kids lose 2-3 months of critical thinking skills over the summer, with math skills being the hardest hit. As a result, they return to school with fewer skills than they had at the start of summer. The first 6 weeks of the fall semester are spent reviewing old material to make up for this loss. By end of grade 6, students who’ve experienced the “summer slide” over the years are on average two years behind state standards. 

How to Beat the Summer Math Slide

Some things parents can do with their children to combat the learning loss include:

1. Bring up math in everyday activities such as during grocery shopping, you can talk about measurements and money.
2. Play math games like Allowance, Four Way Countdown, Blokus that rely on math skills. Use flash cards or even a deck of cards to practice multiplication and addition facts.
3. Enroll in a summer math program. Parents can rely on the experts to reinforce what their children learned during the school year. With regular practice throughout the summer, your kids will achieve more at the beginning of the school year and develop a stronger foundation of knowledge.

Set your children up for success by enrolling them in summer math program at Mathnasium of Smyrna. Serving the community since 2009, these professionals offer individual tutoring plans to help children throughout elementary, middle, and high school. Whether your child needs algebra help or wants to prepare for college, these tutors offer flexible scheduling for your convenience. To learn more about how they can help you, give them a call today at (770) 436-4949. You can also find more information about their services online.