Five Tips to Stop the Summer & Brain Drain

Introduction

Summers are all about the beach, cool sips by the pool, ice creams, and of course, a LOT of playtime for kids! All of us eagerly wait for summer to arrive to get the much-needed break from routine life. The eagerness and excitement of summer vacation are more for kids as it means no-school days. They hope to play and chill all day long without any restrictions. The body should take the break, however, the brain should not. Teachers and parents must ensure to stop the summer brain drain of children in the time of holidays. 

According to Stratford School, California, summer brain drain means the process of losing skills and knowledge, acquired in school, by children during summer vacation. It needs to be properly addressed by parents and teachers collectively, and at an early grade, so that children stay at a decreased level of disadvantage. To stop the summer brain drain, we have five tips that will prevent the dreaded brain of your child over summer vacations. 

Five Ways Kids can Avoid Summer Brain Drain or the Summer Slide

• Library Membership – With schools being shut during summer vacations, kids may fall out of their reading habit very easily. Parents can subscribe to the membership of a local library and borrow books on a weekly or fortnightly basis. These books can be picked up for different subjects every week. Teachers can also help the parents by recommending a list of books before the vacation starts from each subject area, which the parents can then borrow from the library and get their kid binge-reading all summer long! 

• Game Time – Yes, we know your kid spends most of the summer playing video games, but that’s not what we are suggesting! It’s time to become old-school and play fun board games with your little one. Classic board games like Yahtzee, Monopoly, Chess and Scrabble provide retention power and analytical skills to your kid and are quite exciting to play. There are many other board games that can help your child enhance her mathematical skills and get that brain working!

• One-day Trip – Sit with your kid and make a list of places that you can visit in a day in your own city or in the suburbs. You can also seek advice from school teachers by asking them what would be taught next in class after school reopens – this could include historical monuments, museums, planetarium and much more! This can be the perfect way to spend an entire day outdoors with family and friends with a practical approach towards education, a perfect way to stop the summer brain drain!
• Bake and Shake – Get those tiny hands as helpers in the kitchen and try out recipes for a fun baking session! This could be your grandma’s famous banana cake recipe or your kid’s favourite milkshake. Baking teaches kids about measurements and fractions which can be a practical way for them to relate with what they have read in books before summer. This way they can have their cake and eat it too – quite literally! 

• Bagging New Skills – Learning a new skill is a great way to stop the summer brain drain. Get your child enrolled in creative or artistic activities like music, dance or even gardening! Learning a new language could also be a great way to keep them busy and learn about different cultures. They will have enough free time with no packed scheduled classes. Give them a guitar or put some music on and watch them discover their hidden talents! 

Conclusion

Summer is a time to make memories for a lifetime. We all have our own summer stories which are fun and embarrassing at the same time! Open up your childhood memories to your kids by reading through your secret diary or going through your childhood photos.  Share these stories with your little one and have a good laugh! Being in routine life all year long gets exhausting for everyone, even for kids. It is in our hands to make every summer memorable for them and ourselves by indulging in activities that are definitely fun and exciting but also caters to the development needs of the mind and body. These five tips to stop the summer brain drain are sure to help you set the summer right, with the sun and kids shining brighter than ever! Happy summer 🙂

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