I hope you all enjoyed a nice long holiday weekend. Since summer is in full effect, I thought it might be important to talk about summer slide–the loss of learning that can occur over the summer.
Research has shown that students lose skills over the summer, particularly in mathematics. Furthermore, we know that this learning loss is cumulative and disproportionately affects low-income students.
Parents often ask me how they can prevent summer slide. Here’s one suggestion: try a bedtime math story instead of reading a book to your children before bed.
Laura Overdeck has a neat website called bedtime math. Her goal is to make the nightly math problem as common as the bedtime story. The site posts a daily math story that you can read to your kids. Included after each story is a series of math problem created for different age groups: wee ones, little kids and big kids.
I think the site includes some great stories and some fun ways to begin to make math part of your child’s daily routine.
I’d love to know what you think about the site as well as what suggestions you may have to prevent summer slide.
Want to know more about the research on summer slide?
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Summer slide is a great term, and I fear that it’s plaguing me right now… Need to finish my Master’s this fall and all my brainpower may be gone by then … I liked the Bedtime Math site. My dad used to always give me math problems in the car when we’d drive anywhere — little problems like if he were to drive half as fast how much longer would it take us, etc. I plan to “inflict” the same fun on my boys!
I guess summer slide affects all of us! I love that you are going to continue the tradition of giving math problems in the car. I see parents doing that on the subway and I want to high-five them.
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