Although we love a break from the grind of the school year, wasting time and/or letting our kids’ brains become soft aren’t really good ideas either. While students are already enjoying their summer break, it is important to keep them active and engaged to prevent learning loss that accompanies long school breaks. For more info on the matter, we consulted with Lauren Barr, the Senior Executive of the School & Branch Based Programs of the YMCA of Greater New York. Take a look at these awesome tips that are so easy, you can totally bring into your home activities, to keep their noggins sharp. Those tips are also on this chart:
Tell us a few things from the Summer Brain Gain chart above that any parent can do with their kid, regardless of apartment size or access to a backyard, to keep their child busy and engaged this summer.
New York City’s YMCA is here to help parents and families keep their children active and engaged all summer long. We’re offering tips that can be useful to any family, regardless of setting. A “boredom” jar offers kids the chance to be creative with imagining fun activities and will ensure that there’s never a moment of boredom all summer. Parents can also motivate their kids to practice their writing over the summer by helping them choose a pen pal, near or far, and encouraging them to share their summer adventures through letters or postcards.
Describe some of what happens to a kid’s brain in the summer when they’re out of school.
Research shows that students experience “brain drain” when they aren’t actively engaged in school, camp or other educational programs during the summer months. For instance, students can lose two months of grade-level equivalency in math skills during this time. To keep kids engaged and prepare them for the upcoming school year, it is important to keep their minds active during summer vacation.
What should parents do every day for their kids (no matter what) during the summer?
Parents should create a daily opportunity for kids to be active both physically and educationally during summer vacation. It can be something simple, like cooking and gardening around the house, to get kids’ minds and bodies working. It’s the YMCA’s goal to keep kids active so they continue to learn and grow, even when they’re not in school.
Tell us anything and everything you want us to know!
Our goal is to help families identify safe, educational and fun ways to ensure kids are continuously learning and active all year long. New York City’s YMCA offers camps throughout the summer that help do just that! With more than 21 camps to choose from across our City, parents will feel confident their children are constantly learning and growing all summer long.
Lauren Barr is the Senior Executive, School & Branch Based Programs of the YMCA of Greater New York. She began her career with the YMCA, in September 2004, as a Citywide Program Coordinator, supervising Teens Take the City programs at YMCAs and collaborating public schools. In March 2009, Lauren was promoted to Teen & Middle School Director at the McBurney YMCA. As a result of Lauren’s strong track record for managing quality camp, family, early childhood, afterschool, and teen programs, she was appointed Youth & Family Director for the McBurney Y in March 2011. Most recently, Lauren joined the Vanderbilt YMCA as Senior Youth & Family Director, managing all youth and family programs, including multiple government funded afterschool sites for youth and teens.