As we approach the end of the school year, parents start to consider ways they can keep their child actively involved. They look at prices for the swimming pool, they scan advertisements looking for day and overnight camps. They look into their local sports organizations. The list is endless. They might even consider their local reading program at the library.
However, many families don’t consider summer learning opportunities. I know that as a parent, I would always try to get my kids to the library for some educational opportunities, but many times those ideas fell below my expectations as a parent. I wanted my child challenged. Being a school teacher meant I had the ideas to keep them academically inspired and challenged, but sometimes I just wanted to send them somewhere and let them learn from someone other than myself.
And, let’s be honest. How many of us just don’t want to do the work to develop ideas and get things prepared in order to challenge our students? It is a lot of work. You have to have the idea, find the supplies, take the time to sit down with your child and do the work right along with them. Whew, that can be exhausting! You are just trying to hold down the fort at home. You have to find time to pay your bills and take care of the family. No one ever told you, you might have to spend time doing things that are educational with your child. You thought it would be fun just to play with them!
Parenting is hard. People have written books about parenting. Parents find themselves questioning how to go about supporting their child in all areas. It doesn’t just have to be the summer time activities!
As you go about planning your child’s summer camps, I hope you will consider nurturing their mind, not just their bodies. Yes, my kids all participated in sports. We spent countless hours at the ball diamonds, at the pool, and on the basketball court. All of those things are incredibly valuable to your child. But, when my kids were growing up, we really only had the library reading programs and Bible school that offered learning opportunities for kids. This was mostly due to the fact that we live in a rural environment. Today, parents have all kinds of things they can consider signing their children up for! With the advent of digital learning opportunities, kids can take classes all over the world and learn from experts in all kinds of fields.
I challenge you to think outside of the box as you look at things for your child to participate in this summer. Look around for summer enrichment, and even consider getting your child support in academic areas where they may be in need of support. Keep the learning going so that when they show up to class next fall they are not behind.
Summer learning loss is a real thing! It doesn’t happen for all children, but it does happen. There are differing opinions as to why this occurs, and I won’t go into all of that in this blog post, but as a parent, I think most of us don’t want it to happen to our child. Sure, we can tell that they have to read for 20 minutes a day. And, that in itself is a good thing, if they are really doing it! It is even better if you take the time to discuss what they are reading and ask them questions. But the average parent may not even know exactly what to ask the child about their book, other than,”What happened in your book today?” That is a great open-ended question, but if that is the only thing you ask and your child barely responds, then that isn’t such a great thing. How will you know that your child actually read the material? You won’t!
I would encourage you to seek out learning opportunities for your child that are supportive, challenging, and lead to growth.
I know that some people will shy away from social sites like Facebook or Instagram. But, I know of a lot of talented teachers and tutors that are available to help support your child and can be found on these apps.
If you know that your child struggles with reading, giving them the summer off is NOT going to help them grow as a reader! Ignoring the struggle is never a good idea!
If your child is a genius, then find someone or a program that will challenge your child to think about new things and new ways of doing things.
I know that parents will oftentimes say to me, your cost of tutoring is too high. Well, they don’t consider that they are also paying for the time I am working outside of the one-on-one time with their child. I don’t think they would argue with their lawyer about the cost of his or her services. They know that the lawyer is working outside of the time they are meeting with the client to make sure all of their needs are being met. The same goes for the person who is going to provide the academic support for a camp or one-one-one learning sessions. They are creating support materials and lining up the programs. So, remember that when you are considering your child’s summer learning opportunities and you are thinking about costs.
I know that most parents don’t bat an eye at spending thousands of dollars on their child’s gymnastics, volleyball, baseball, or other sporting ventures. Invest in your child. They are the next leaders of our world. We want them learning from others, we want them challenged, we want them nurtured, we want them to have experiences to draw upon. All of this will make well-rounded children.
If you are looking for some summer learning opportunities for your child I may be a resource for you! I am providing some! I am hosting 3 sessions of an online writing camp focused on poetry in the month of June. I know your child will have fun and learn more about writing through a creative experience. I am also hosting 3 sessions of an online financial literacy camp where we will focus on understanding our wants and needs and how to wisely use our money. We will learn about budgeting and how to keep track of our expenses.
I also am offering one-on-one tutoring for students who need support with bridging any learning gaps in both reading and math. I also am available for enrichment! Just let me know what your child needs. I am happy to help you out! I am really excited to work with some great kids and families this summer. Thank you for trusting me with your kids! I look forward to hearing from you! I can be reached at suehling@midwesttutor.com or you can find more information out at midwesttutor.com.
Tutoring with Sheryl 