School is out for the summer, well almost! As your children’s school year starts winding down and summer vacation comes clearer into view, now is not the time to start slacking.
Studies have shown that students are more likely to lose the progress they made over the summer, most notably in English language arts1. Keep reading to learn 5 tips to keep your child on top of their writing skills this summer.
1. Reading
Literacy is a core element of school curricula all over the globe for a reason. Reading strengthens your comprehension skills, improves your vocabulary, and is one of the best ways to improve your writing. Reading books of quality provides necessary examples of good writing to your child.
This mental stimulation will keep your child sharp and prepared for the upcoming school year.
2. Writing
Practice makes progress, right? Taking time to write a little every day works a little like muscle memory for a child’s writing skills.
Give them 15 minutes each day to write down their thoughts, feelings, and whatever else they want, and that will help them retain the writing skills they practiced all school year long.
3. Brush Up On Grammar Rules
Among the first things for a student of any age to forget over the summer are grammar rules. Using a guide or online resources that review parts of speech, punctuation, etc. is a good way to aid in better retention of these essential writing tools.
4. Review Old Assignments
Another way to help your child retain and improve their writing skills this summer is to review old writing assignments. By looking over past assignments, you and your child can take note of the mistakes that they are prone to make and work on correcting them for the upcoming school year.
Don’t forget to use positive encouragement as well and praise them for what they’ve done well in past essays and assignments.
5. Schedule A Session With A Writing Tutor
If your child seems to be in need of extra writing help, or you don’t have the time to sit with them through the previous four steps, working with a tutor and utilizing a tutoring service is the best way to go!
A writing tutor, like one of our expert WriteAhead tutors, can give your child one-on-one lessons that touch on the specific areas they need help in or give a broader lesson to keep their mind sharp over the summer. By working with a tutor, they will be able to take actionable steps to not only maintain the skills they acquired over the school year but improve upon them.
WriteAhead is an online tutoring service offering personalized digital feedback in conjunction with the real time assistance of an online writing tutor. WriteAhead tutors are specialists in helping writers achieve their goals through powerful writing suited to the requirements of the writing project. To learn more and schedule a session visit, www.writeahead.com
1 https://www.aera.net/Newsroom/Schools-Out-The-Role-of-Summers-in-Understanding-Achievement-Disparities