For most families, back to school means heading to the mall for new school supplies—new clothes, book bags, binders, etc. Unfortunately, new gear doesn’t help kids prepare their brain for the new school year. Studies show that kids lose about 2.6 months worth of learning skills during the summer. This means that when they head back to school, they spend up to 6 weeks reviewing and simply getting back into the swing of things rather than learning new material.
“Being ready to learn from the first day of school gives students a considerable advantage over other students,” says Dr. Nick Whitehead, founder and CEO of Oxford Learning. “Students who start the new school year off ahead are more likely to stay ahead for the entire year.”
While kids who keep learning all summer are cognitively primed for a better start, but there are still plenty that parents can do right now—whether school is in session or not—to help jump start their children’s brains for the new school year.
Six Tips to Prepare Kids’ Brains for Back to School:
Use the ‘s’ word. Help kids get in the school frame of mind by talking about school. How many days until the first day? What are they looking forward to? What’s their best memory from last year? Kids may need some conversational prompting, so reference highlights from last year, and be sure to keep it positive to build excitement! Hit the sheets. Nothing makes an early morning routine worse than a lack of sleep the night before. Plus, kids need a full night’s sleep to stay mentally alert all day in class. Start implementing bedtimes now…even for older kids. It makes learning (and morning routines) that much easier. Get on schedule. The school year is all about scheduled timing. Start times. End times. Recess. Lunch. Home time. Re-introduce reliable routines before school starts and there will be no adjustment shock when school bells ring once again. TV off, homework on. During the school year, TV and computers are kids’ biggest homework distraction. Start eliminating bad homework habits by turning off the TV during the after-school hours, coming to the table, and engaging in a brain-challenging activity. Review. Pull out last June’s report card to review teacher comments and grades. Talk to the kids about expectations and have them write out some learning goals for the school year. This gets them thinking about grades and helps them take ownership of the learning process. Read. Keep the brain primed for academics by reading regularly. Reading in the best-known way to develop vocabulary and reading comprehension skills, both of which keep the cognitive wheels turning pay off big time in the classroom.
You can learn even more ways to get organized and transition from summer to school on our Back-To-School 2014 page.
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