School is out for the summer. Kids have spent the last nine months cramming as much knowledge as they can into their developing brains. Yet they can lose a lot of those new skills during the lull of the summertime.

“There are all sorts of studies that talk about kids losing skills over the summer if they don’t continue to practice what they learned from the previous year,” said Jody Triptow, education specialist at Primary Children’s Hospital.

Reading fluency and comprehension and math literacy and skills are some areas that can weaken during this time. Here are four ways to keep your children intellectually active.

Keep them reading

“Local libraries, both the city and county, have reading incentive programs that are free to use,” said Triptow.

She also suggested that you can have older children read aloud to younger children. They can also read aloud to pets if there are no younger kids.

“I think parents need to set an example. Children need to see their parents reading. Have a place in your home where books are available and where pencils and paper are accessible,” Triptow said.

Write out your summer experience

Summer typically brings vacations. Triptow said those are great moments that should be written down. Encourage your kids to document their journey. Whether it’s a trip across the country or visiting their grandma, have them put the memories down on paper.

“Encourage them if they have friends or relatives out of state to write letters back and forth—and not electronically. Even if it was a postcard from your hometown, it wouldn’t have to be a lot of writing,” Triptow said.

They can also create their own entertainment by writing a script and putting on a puppet show or their own play.

Challenge them with math quizzes

It’s important for kids to keep their math skills sharp. But you don’t need to use tests or flash cards. Work on practical math problems that occur every single day.

“You can turn almost any activity into a math learning activity,” Triptow said. “If you’re setting the table, well, how many forks, spoons, and knives do we need for this many people?”

Have them calculate the cost of gas when you are fueling up, how much produce would cost based on its weight, how much you have spent on groceries before checking out, with and without the tax added.

Encourage physical fitness to help their brains

Being physically active also helps stimulate kids’ brains. “Research shows that if they did something physical, something active, prior to sitting down and doing something that is a little more cognitive, their brains have been primed to receive that information and practice it more effectively,” Triptow said.

It’s important for children to limit the screen time, go play, and then give their brain a little workout. For more tips on child development, go to KidsHealth.org/PrimaryChildrens/en/.

Related topics