We all know the summer slide is real. In NWEA’s research, summer learning loss was observed in math and reading across third to eighth grade, with students losing a greater proportion of their school year gains each year as they grow older – anywhere from 20 to 50 percent.
But don’t lose hope. Your kids don’t have to spend the whole summer playing Fortnite or watching YouTube. There are many ways to have kids review math skills in engaging ways:
1) Play Math Games: Many board games such as Monopoly and Yahtzee have many opportunities to practice math skills. Play as a family and have Family Math Night to get kids excited about playing and doing math.
2) Cook With Your Child: Recipes are full of math. From measurement to fractions, the opportunities are endless. This is a great opportunity to connect math to real life. Ask questions such as : “How much of this ingredient would we need if we doubled the recipe or if we wanted to cook only half?”
3) Go Shopping With Your Child: The supermarkets or malls are full of opportunities to talk about math. If a pack of 6 yogurts is $3, how much is each individual yogurt? How much would I spend if I buy three packs? I only have a $10 bill, how many packs can I buy? Discuss percentage off in sale items with older kids. Weigh produce items at the supermarket. Talk about profit and loss. The possibilities are endless in a store.
What are some ways you practice math with your child? Drop me a comment below.
