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20 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • March 2014 I nactive summers can lead to significant learning loss. By the time school starts, kids have lost, on average, 2.6 months of math skills. Those stu- dents who can't access summer programs also fall behind in reading and spelling. So what can you do to prevent summer learning loss? Here are ten tips: 1. Research summer programs earlier in the year. 2. Pinpoint your child's academic weaknesses and then set aside 15-30 minutes daily to work on these skills using online resources, materials from teacher supply stores and games. Make sure to include math skills practice. 3. Go to the library weekly to check out books relating to their interests. The library offers free classes and events each month that your child can sign up for. In addition, make time for your child to read daily, especially if your child is reading below grade level. Your kids may also enjoy reading a book that has been turned into a movie and then watching the movie, or reading about a specific place or event and then taking a day trip to visit that location. 4. Practice math. Have your kids do three challenging math problems per day, play games where math or reasoning is required, or take advantage of the many apps or websites that offer math games. For ideas, see my blog, Making Learning Fun Again at http:// bit.ly/fp-math-fun. Encourage writing. Have your kids keep an old fashioned or digital journal or scrapbook of summer activities. Have them write postcards from camp, stories about places they may visit over the summer or letters and emails to keep in touch with relatives. Tips to Prevent Summer Learning Loss 10