Summer Vacation
Every child dreams of the lazy days during summer vacation. For many parents, especially those who work full time, finding something to occupy a child’s time can be a nightmare. But do you really want to just keep the child occupied during the summer months?
Research shows that without stimulating experiences in the summer, children can lose, on average, one month of school achievement during the summer in each school subject.
Math can ultimately result in the biggest loss - up to 2.6 months loss of academic achievement. Some children actually can gain achievement in reading when encouraged to read over the summer.
If your children are like mine, reading during the summer was the last thing they wanted to do. Even my clients with a required reading list for the summer, begin reading the required books the last week or two of his or her summer vacation. Some do not even read the required books.
Studies have been conducted over the years to determine how much achievement is lost during the summer in reading and math. I could not find any studies that looked at loss of cognitive abilities over the summer months, but it is beyond safe to assume that cognition is negatively impacted as well.
The last two summers at MindMenders Summer Camp, clients who have spent at least two weeks at camp have made 20.6% to 37.2% gains in cognitive development. The one male client who only made 20.6% improvement was already an exceptionally gifted child and the clients with over 30% cognitive improvement were children who were struggling in school. But numbers don’t lie, nor to the results of MindMenders Summer Camp.
Send your child to MindMenders Summer Camp this summer. Kids not only have fun while learning, but they start school in the fall with a brand-new brain! Visit us at http://mindmenders.net or call our office today at 972-479-5179 to set up a consultation and evaulation.
Effects of Summer Vacation on Achievement Test Scores: A Narrative and Meta-
Analytic Review. Review of Educational Research, v66 n3 p227-68 Fall 1996
