You may have heard about the “Summer Slide.” It’s how teachers refer to the significant decrease in material retention that requires them to spend an average of four to six weeks re-teaching materials in the fall. But even a two- to three-week holiday break can put a serious dent in learning.
To keep your child’s brain strong when school is out of session, consider these tips:
- Get them moving.Exercise isn’t just good for the body, it’s also good for the mind. Increasing oxygen flow to the brain helps increase its performance, and time spent playing sports or bike riding is time away from the TV.
- Play board games. There are plenty of fun games to engage brains of any age. From jigsaw puzzles to strengthen attention and visual processing skills to games for two (like Battleship or Connect 4) or for families (like Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit) that work multiple cognitive skills, building a family tradition on board games is good for the brain – and the soul. Check out some of our recommendations: http://www.learningrx.com/reviews/
- Feed them healthy foods. Just as junk food can muddle your ability to focus, think and stay alert, healthy foods like beets, berries, lentils, salmon, walnuts, sardines and green tea can increase clarity, memory and focus.
- Keep them reading.They don’t need to be studying their science books to fight off the brain drain. Even leisure reading can keep them in the habit and help them boost their processing speed.
- Do yoga. In addition to being a great form of exercise, yoga incorporates the practice of meditation, which has been shown to be beneficial to the brain.
- Keep them on a sleep schedule. A healthy brain requires a good night’s sleep. There’s no such thing as “catching up on” sleep and while it’s tempting to let kids stay up later during the break, any extreme change is going to make it that much harder to adapt after the break ends.
- Play school. Whether you’re the teacher or the pupil, keeping your child in school mode can do wonders over the break. Give them plenty of supplies, a space of their own and invite over a couple classmates. It’ll keep them busy in a way that doesn’t drain their brain – or your energy!
LearningRx, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, is the largest one-on-one brain training organization in the world. LearningRx has helped more than 100,000 individuals and families sharpen their cognitive skills to help them think faster, learn easier, and perform better. Their on-site programs partner every client with a personal brain trainer to keep clients engaged, accountable, and on-task—a key advantage over online-only brain exercises. Their pioneering methods have been used in clinical settings for 35 years and have been verified as beneficial in peer-reviewed research papers and journals. To learn more about LearningRx visit www.learningrx.com.