LearningRx suggests ways to beat summer brain drain

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- The “summer slide” is not an amusement park ride or a game suited for a backyard barbeque. The term refers to the knowledge that most students lose over summer vacation.

Kim Bellini, owner and director of The Woodlands LearningRx and a former teacher, said she witnessed the effects the summer break has on students returning to their classrooms for the new school year.

“I found that I would have to spend the first six weeks or more re-teaching what had been taught the previous year,” she said.

Studies confirmed what Bellini observed. According to the U.S. Department of Education, children are set back by 25 percent in reading skills each summer and the average student loses approximately 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency in mathematical computation skills.

“Most young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer,” Bellini said.

Besides beating the heat of the summer months, Bellini said students have to combat the summer slide. “The brain is like the body – when you exercise it, you improve it. You have to keep the brain active over the summer,” she said.

Bellini said one way parents can engage children and keep their minds sharp is to play educational games with them throughout the summer. Her picks include Traffic Jam, Blink and Qwitch, as well as old standbys like Scrabble, Memory and jigsaw puzzles.

She also suggests trying:

Mental Tic Tac Toe: Similar to traditional Tic Tac Toe, this game uses a ‘mental’ grid numbered 1 to 9. Players remember where their opponent has already been and call out an unoccupied space. The player who calls an occupied space loses.
What it helps: Attention, logic and reasoning, and working memory.

Needle in a Haystack: Take a page from a newspaper and time the child as he or she circles all occurrences of a specific letter. Focus on increasing both accuracy and speed.
What it helps: Visual processing speed.

20 Questions: Think of a person or object and give a child 20 chances to ask yes or no questions. To help them improve their logic and reasoning, teach them to strategize by using questions that will significantly narrow down the categories.
What it helps: Logic, reasoning, memory.

Poetry: Have a child choose four words that rhyme and then use those words to create a poem or a rhyming song. Or say a word, then ask for another that rhymes. Keep this pattern going as long as possible, then start with a new word.
What it helps: Auditory analysis, verbal rhythm, memory.

Bellini said to try online games that exercise cognitive skills and prevent loss of basic math facts. One of her favorite sites is iknowthat.com.

“Simply getting your child to read every day is another powerful way to slow the summer slide,” Bellini said. “When choosing books, make sure they’re the right level – not too hard and not too easy.”

Bellini also advocates reading aloud to children. “There are so many benefits to reading aloud with your kids such as an increased vocabulary, better listening skills and, best of all, the chance to bond with your child,” she said. “I encourage you to take advantage of that opportunity.”

LearningRx offers a free, five-page summary of the summer slide that includes dozens of games and exercises that build cognitive skills, along with tips on how to incorporate brain building into every day activities. For a free copy of the the summer slide guide, e-mail at the button below or call.