Research indicates that young children can improve their intuitive understanding of numbers by playing certain board games. And such intuitions really matter: When kids lack a strong grasp of “how much” different numbers really represent, they perform more poorly in school (Mazzococo 2011). You can read more about it (and get instructions for making your own game) here.
In addition, young school children can practice their basic addition and subtraction facts by playing the simple — but excellent — board game, “Sum Swamp.” The game is a race, with players rolling dice and performing quick calculations to determine the number of spaces they must move. You can check the current price by clicking here to view the Sum Swamp game on Amazon. (Once again, I will earn a commision if you make a purchase using that link.)
Finally, I’ve found a number of books for children that help kids visualize mathematical concepts, and some include instructions for mathematical activities and games. See my recommendations in this Parenting Science guide.
5. Develop spatial skills through spatial rotation games and construction play
Experiments demonstrate that we can hone strong spatial skills through practice, and better spatial reasoning leads to enhanced performance in math and science.
For example, when young school children were asked to practice mental rotation tasks – tasks that required them to predict how two geometrical shapes would look when stuck together – these kids went on to show improvements in their ability to solve basic algebra problems (Cheng and Mix 2012).
For ideas on how to encourage spatial play, see my evidence-based articles about tangrams, blocks, and other activities for boosting a child’s spatial skills.
6. Take trips to museums, zoos, and nature sites. But don’t merely attend. Help children enjoy hands-on experiences, and engage them in thoughtful discussion.
Kids learn more from museum experiences when they engage in hands-on activities. They also benefit when parents ask them to interpret what they see.
For example, in one study, kids visiting an anthropological exhibit learned more when their parents asked them open-ended questions about the artifacts they encountered (Jant et al 2014).
What do you think this tool was used for? What do you think it is made of? How do you think it would feel to sleep on this mat?
In another museum-learning study, preschoolers showed more spontaneous focus on numbers and counting after their parents had engaged them in playful number talk and counting games (Braham et al 2018). How many dinosaurs are here? Let’s count together.
And after you leave? Help kids consolidate what they’ve learned by asking kids what they remember.
As I explain elsewhere, one of the best ways is to encourage children to explain what they have learned. And a recent study reports links between parent-child conversations and retention: The more kids talked about a science lesson with their parents, the more they remembered later on (Leitchman et al 2017).
To learn more about the fascinating effects of explaining things to others, read my article, “How kids learn math and science: Stimulate learning by asking kids to explain.”
7. Protect learning and meaningful family experiences: Put away the phones!
Technology might have its place, but it shouldn’t be intruding into educational experiences or family conversation time. The most obvious reason is that kids won’t learn if they aren’t paying attention, and few things are more attention-sapping than the presence of a digital media device.
But it isn’t only our kids who need a break from the technology. We, too, need to put away our phones. As I explain in my article about “technological interference” (also known as “technoference”), personal relationships suffer when we choose to pay more attention to our devices than each other.
Kids notice when we’re glued to our phones, and the quality of our conversation plummets. Moreover, such phone use can diminish our social and psychological well-being.
In one experiment, researchers sent families to a museum, and instructed half the parents to check their phones frequently. The other parents were told to avoid phone use.
What happened? Not only did the “high phone use” parents feel less attentive to their kids. They also came away feeling less socially connected, and perceived their lives to be less meaningful (Kushlev and Dunn 2019).
8. Choose STEM summer camps that emphasize informal, hands-on learning.
Research suggests that summer camps in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) can stoke children’s interest in STEM fields.
What makes a great program? Hands-on, activity-based STEM activities — like building, coding, robotics, or science labs — that allow kids to tinker and solve problems themselves. This isn’t the time for lectures and passively sitting by. Kids learn by doing (Roberts et al 2018).
To find an informal summer learning program near you, look online, and try contacting local schools, public libraries, museums, and zoos. Are the options too pricey? Don’t assume you’ll have to pay. Ask about free and low-cost programs.
9. Can’t find an affordable summer camp? Create your own!
The nonprofit organization Reading Rockets offers materials for a 5-day DIY program called “River Rangers,” which helps kids learn about everything from the formation of rivers, to riverine ecosystems and the management of human drinking water. You can access these free materials, and other ideas to battle summer learning loss, here.
In addition, you will find links to many educational resources in my article, “Suddenly homeschooling? Here’s help for getting started.” And if you’re looking for ideas for preschool science activities, see these Parenting Science pages.
10. Let kids explore interests that don’t fit into the standard, school-year curriculum
This is my personal suggestion, but it’s consistent with experiments: Personal curiosity is a major driver of learning (Gruber et al 2014).
How many students have been bored by school, and then–one lucky day–they discovered an academic subject they were really passionate about?
Such discoveries can change lives, but many people never make them. When I was a child, extended summer breaks were a chance to indulge my curiosity about all sorts of things that never made it into the standard school curriculum–paleontology, astronomy, rock collecting, the geology of Mars, the search for extraterrestrial life, ancient history.
How would I have turned out without these opportunities? I don’t know, but I’m sure I would have been worse off. And for some kids, these extracurricular investigations lead to big things. Astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson traces the beginnings of his career to childhood experiences with a telescope.
Looking for some interesting topics? Here are some suggestions:
Animal behavior. David Attenborough has produced many outstanding educational programs about animals. These, combined with reading and hands-on activities can help your child develop a lifelong interest in biology. What to do? Get kids outside, and show them how to locate wildlife. See these Parenting Science tracking activities for more information, and don’t forget to let your child photograph what he or she sees. Nature photography doesn’t just help kids document their discoveries. It also encourages them to learn stealth and patience!
Computer programming. Researchers at MIT have developed a visual programming environment called Scratch. It permits kids to learn computer programming concepts — and create coded projects — even before they learn to read. Best of all, it’s free to use. All you need is a computer with an internet connection.
Dinosaurs. See my guide to resources about paleontology and dinosaurs for kids.
Space exploration. In additional to finding books on the subject, check out the local planetarium. In addition, don’t miss NASA’s interactive website for kids.
More ideas? See my recommended children’s books.
References: Summer learning loss
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Written content of “Preventing Summer Learning Loss” last modified 7/2024. Portions of the text derive from previous versions of this article, written by the same author.
Image of boys on beach by istock/ Spotmatik
image of kids playing board game by SeventyFour / istock
image sihouette of child gazing a fish in an aquarium by kiankhoon / istock
image of child’s hands and tangrams copyright Gwen Dewar
