Beating the Brain Drain Through Literacy: Webinar Recap with Printable Activity Sheet – by Julie C. Lyons

This past week, Lumos Learning hosted a webinar for students: “Beating the Brain Drain Through Literacy.” During this webinar, we provided the students with several ideas for keeping their literacy skills sharp in the summertime.

Here’s a handy chart with the ideas from the webinar, ready for you to post on your refrigerator. Let your child pick and choose the activities that appeal to him or her. Of course, reading should be nonnegotiable, but the list below provides alternatives for reluctant readers – or for those who just don’t enjoy reading a traditional fiction novel. The first set of activities touch upon ideas that reinforce writing skills, while the second half addresses reading skills. There is also room on the chart to date or check off activities your child has completed.

Note: Reading just six books over the summer can maintain – and sometimes even increase! – your child’s reading level. Not sure if the book is appropriate for your child’s reading level? Use the five-finger rule: have your son/daughter read a page of a book. Each time your child encounters a word that is unfamiliar or unknown, he or she holds up a finger. If your child holds up more than five fingers on a given page, that book is probably too difficult.

However, there are some books that a child will successfully tackle if it’s high-interest to him or her. Keep in mind that reading levels are a guide (as is the five-finger rule), and some children may exceed expectations…so don’t hold your child back if he or she really wants to read a particular book (even if it may appear to be too challenging).

Remember, if students do some of these simple activities, they can prevent the typical four to six weeks of learning loss due to the “summer slide.” And since spelling, vocabulary and reading skills are vulnerable areas, be sure to encourage your child to maintain his or her current literacy level…it will go a long way come September!