Learning & 

Teaching

Avoiding the Summer Slide

"The summer slide" is the term given to children's educational gains evaporating during the summer holidays.  Add to this the interrupted learning our students have had over the past two years and it can have a big impact on your child's learning. It is no doubt true that five or six weeks of summer holidays without stimulating our children's brains is not going to do them any favours when they return to school. 

So how do you keep your child learning, without overwhelming them and giving them time to relax, over the summer break? The key is moderation and fun! There are many learning activities that children will naturally gravitate to when they are playing, relaxing or just need some downtime. Encourage your child to engage in the following to keep their minds stimulated and to avoid the slide over summer:

Reading hour

Reading is one of the best habits we can pass on to our kids and its educational value is immense. Of course, these days kids will default to grabbing the iPad or watching TV, so I think it's important to switch all screens off for a while each day. Here are some reading suggestions suitable for ages 9,10,11:

• The "Percy Jackson" Books by Rick Riordan - no cover photo because he's passed them all on
• The "Alex Rider" books by Anthony Horowitz
• Everything by Michael Morpurgo
• The "Pippi Longstocking" Books by Astrid Lindgren
• The Borrowers books by Mary Norton
• Matilda by Roald Dahl

Chess and Board Games

Chess is a great way to develop mathematical thinking because it's all about patterns and strategies. If your kids are new to chess, it's useful to start by using an app that shows you all the possible moves when you select a piece - this is a great way to learn the rules & moves while playing.

Here's a great free chess app for android and here's one that looks good for iPad / iPhone.

Board games are also a great way for students to practise their social and maths skills. Some games that are great for these skills are:

• Yahtzee
• Monopoly
• Snakes and Ladders
• Jenga
• Trivial Pursuit
• Guess Who

These can make great Christmas presents too!

If you would like some more ideas for what to do over the holidays, see your classroom teacher.

Home Learning Page

Don't forget to access your child's Home Learning Page each week. Click on the link below to explore their timetable and learning foci each week.

Click on the links below to go straight to your child's Home Learning Community page.