Countdown to the End of Summer Vacation

For schools that follow a traditional calendar, August marks the end of summer vacation. And the end of summer vacation means headed back to school. Here are some things you can be doing this month at home to help kids ease back into the routine of school.
1) Resume an early bed time. Often times in summer we let the kids stay up late at night and sleep in each morning. Use the month of August to work back up to whatever time it is that you need to wake up during the school year. Waiting until the last minute will result in tired children showing up for the first day of school. Not a good impression for the student or the teacher.
2) Try to simulate an eating schedule that will be similar to the schedule your child will be on at school. Often times kids are rushed in the morning and forget to eat breakfast or are used to eating breakfast later during the summer. But, missing their opportunity to have breakfast at home before school can sometimes mean that they will not be able to eat until lunch time. Kids have a hard time concentrating in class when they are hungry.
3) Give a refresher course for the brain. If you haven't done so already, pick up a summer workbook from your local bookstore or online and have your child work in it for a predetermined amount of time each day. There are so many workbooks out there to choose from. We recommend Summer Bridge Activities, but there are others out there that are similar and will accomplish the same goal.
4) Rediscover reading. If your child read all summer, good for you...and good for your child. If your child was not so consistent with summer reading, head off to the library, the bookstore, or an online bookstore and pick out a couple new books. Actually, because summer should be about reading for enjoyment, let your child select his/her own book(s). Though, even after your child selects a book, you should check it to make sure the content is appropriate and that it is a good reading level.
5) Get organized. Start clearing out a work space that you will use when homework starts. Gather supplies in a pencil box or another container to keep close by.
6) Finally, enjoy the last days of summer!

Making Reading Fun at Home

Reading during the summer is especially important. It is a time to strengthen comprehension skills and a time to learn to love reading for pleasure. For kids in the primary grades who are still learning how to read, it is important that they do not lose the skills they gained over the past year. Kids in upper grades have gone from learning to read to reading to learn. Much of the information they will be expected to learn going forward in school will be obtained through their own reading. So it is best to keep those comprehension skills sharp. OF COURSE, I have some links from education.com to find great ideas for making reading fun at home.
Kindergarten Reading at Home
First Grade Reading at Home
Second Grade Reading at Home
Third Grade Reading at Home
Fourth Grade Reading at Home
Fifth Grade Reading at Home

Making Math Fun at Home

Take the opportunity this summer to show your kids that math doesn't have to just be pages in workbooks. Not that there is anything wrong with pages in workbooks. I love Education.com. I subscribe to their newsletter and I always find the best idea of ways to have fun learning at home. Here are some links to math activities to do at home from education.com that are broken down by grade level! Just point, click, and learn. Easy!
Kindergarten Math at Home
First Grade Math at Home
Second Grade Math at Home
Third Grade Math at Home
Fourth Grade Math at Home
Fifth Grade Math at Home

How to Get Kids to do their Homework

Is it difficult to get your child to sit down after school or over the summer and work on homework or enrichment materials? Do they put up resistance, maybe to the point you give in and give up  trying to make them work? Here is one of the best tools to keep children on track when doing school work at home.

What? A timer? Yes, a timer will make a world of difference when kids are working on school work at home. A common mistake that parents make during homework time is that they expect their kids to sit down for too long of a period of time. And kids automatically think that homework will take a long time and they won't be able to play with friends or watch television afterward. But, research has given us a guideline as to how much time kids should be expected to work on homework each night after school. The rule is 10 multiplied by the grade they are in. For example, a second grader should come home to 20 minutes of homework, a third grader to thirty minutes and so on.
Using a timer during your homework routine reinforces to children that this work is not going to last forever, like they are imagining. In fact, 20 minutes goes by quite fast, and they can keep checking the timer and seeing how much time is left. We've shown you a picture of one of our favorite timers, mainly because it is easy for kids to set themselves and it counts down.
Other helpful hints are to make sure that children have used the restroom and quenched their thirst before the timer starts. When the timer is counting down, they should be seated and working. Also, they should have enough materials to be able to work until the timer beeps. If your child works quickly, make sure they have a journal or a silent reading book that they can transition into if there is any time left after their work is complete.

How to Avoid Summer Learning Loss

Smart Parents Say No to Summer Learning Loss! 

What exactly is summer learning loss? Research shows that children lose between one and three months of learning while on summer vacation from school. In the fall, teachers spend an average of five weeks reviewing material from the previous grade level.

What can you do to ensure that your child retains the skills and information they learned in school last year?

Plan a routine for summer vacation that includes:

1) reviewing concepts from the past year

2) regular visits to your local library or book store, to encourage reading for fun

3) finding teachable moments in everyday activities 

Avoid Summer Learning Loss!

What is summer learning loss? Read more

What are experts saying about it? Read more 

Visit www.tutortubs.com for more ideas on how to avoid summer learning loss.

How to Set Up a Summer Study Routine for Kids

Getting Ready for Fall!

Wondering how to help your child study this summer? Confused about how to set up study time? Make the most of your child's time away from school this summer with the help of the Summer Sack. The Summer Sack is an all-in-one kit  specific to each grade level, preschool through 5th grade. Each kit comes with  tools that teach kids time management, organization, and independence. All these important tools come in an easy to carry pouch that makes summer study time portable for on-the-go summer schedules. This effective program will maximize summer learning, strengthen homework habits when the school year begins, and begin to shift learning into a part of life rather than just a part of school.

 Learn more about the Summer Sack at www.tutortubs.com.