- Involve parents: Hold a parent meeting towards the end of the school year. Explain the dangers of summer learning loss and provide parents with resources and activities they can use at home.
- Recommend community resources: Local libraries, museums, and community centers often offer free educational activities over summer break. Research what is available in your community, and share this information with students and parents.
- Give out books: A brand new book is a great way to encourage students to read over summer break. There are a lot of free and low-cost resources available to teachers, especially at Title I schools. If you haven’t already signed up for First Book, visit www.firstbook.org and register to receive donations of brand new books for your students.
- Set goals: Set goals for summer learning, (i.e. number of books read, minutes read, math problems solved, etc.), create a tracking system, and offer students a prize for reaching their summer learning goals. Reach out to teachers in the next grade level to coordinate prize distribution in the fall. You could also make this a competition!
- Keep it fun: Remember that students want to have fun over summer, so try to avoid sending them home with a stack of worksheets to complete. Instead, provide them with educational games, creative writing projects, and experiential learning opportunities.