Summer LOOMS

Summer looms...hmmm...LOOMS is an interesting word and subject to interpretation. As a father of three boys, summer absolutely LOOMS ahead. I'm already dreading the cries of "I'm bored" and "I don't want to read". And, if you are twelve? Well, LOOMS is about as off-the-mark as a word choice there can be to describe the delicious freedom summer brings from school.

I digress...

The aim of this entry is to offer some summer suggestions to encourage reading and further the continued development of your growing adolescent. If your child cannot agree that summer looms, then you can bust out the, more appropriate, phrase "seventh grade looms." No one wants to go to the next grade level too far behind.

Summer Suggestions

I am asked each year by concerned parents what activities or steps they may take to assist their child with his or her learning over the course of the summer. I’ve put together a short list of suggestions, which while not popular with the kiddos, will help immensely.

Have your child read regularly from books of his or her choosing. This means agreeing on a schedule for reading during the week and sticking with it. Routine reading helps to improve the reader on so many levels. It builds the reader’s vocabulary and overall comprehension. It exposes them to different cultures and points of view. It builds discipline. It also helps to make an individual into a lifelong reader.

Call Smith School and acquire a list of the books your child will be reading next year. Knowing what books will be read next year can alleviate some of the stress for a child. Especially if some of the more challenging books are read by your child before the beginning of the year. If possible buy copies of some of the books and let your child write notes within the pages and/or highlight confusing parts. When school begins he or she will be better prepared to discuss the book and share his or her confusions for clarification. This is particularly helpful if you know your child is slow to complete homework or if your child tends gloss over read books.

Insist that your child writes. Writing is by far the most difficult form of expression. It requires clarity in the writer’s mind before something can be placed into writing. Ask your child to write short, concise summaries of what he or she reads. If your child can hold a whole chapter’s worth of information in his or her head, then have that summarized in writing. If your child is more forgetful, or prone to skipping portions of texts, then insist that short summaries be written after a couple of pages. In time, your child’s memory will improve. Your child will also learn to attend more to the text. Your child will hold an internal conversation in which he or she continually asks, “What has happened? Does it make sense to me? How would I write that?”

Hire a tutor. Sometimes the best of parent intentions turn into a war. The child refuses to work, or pays lip service to your requests. The best way to solve this event is to remove you from the problem and hire a tutor to be the bad guy or gal. Tutoring doesn’t have to occur every day to be effective either. Meeting twice a week, or alternating between twice a week and once a week, can be effective. It is always a good idea to give the tutor a specific idea of what skills you wish to have him or her develop.