Why reading, cooking & talking with your kids this summer can enrich their brain

SAN ANTONIO – Summer vacation is in full swing, and kids are off forgetting what they learned during the school semester in what’s often called the “summer slide.”

Michelle Rivera, vice president of education at Brighton Preschool San Antonio, said there are ways to prevent summer academic loss without too much effort.

“We can see as much as a whole semester of learning loss over the summer when we don’t keep it going,” she said.

Rivera said an enrichment activity of 15 to 30 minutes a day could help kids retain some of that knowledge and save them from being overwhelmed during the start of the following academic year.

“Let’s make the best of it. Let’s engage with them and engage in those learning activities and keep that summer slide from happening,” Rivera said.

Reading is an obvious way to keep kids engaged, but even cooking and measuring are good ways to do math while teaching them a life skill. Collecting leaves and looking at them are good ways to discuss nature and science.

Engaging teenagers may be harder but not impossible. Rivera said parents must find something that speaks to them to capture their attention.

If your child remains engaged with these activities, Rivera says his or her teacher will thank you.