The dreaded “back to school slump” is most often associated with summer break. With two months off from school, some students backslide; they forget what they learned the previous school year, and it takes them time to get back into the academic swing of things.
While it’s a more common phenomenon in the summer, the back-to-school slump can happen over winter break as well. Essentially, any time students are away from their studies for an extended period of time, there’s a chance that they may forget certain concepts. (Memory retention is not perfect, after all.) And they may be slow to reacclimate themselves to the classroom, and to effective study habits.
As a parent, how do you stop the winter back-to-school slump? What can you do to ensure that your kid hits the proverbial ground running in the new year?
Don’t fret. Here are a few tips you can follow this new year to turn that backslide into a sprint forward!
Enroll in a Canadian Online High School
For some students, it’s the return to strict schedules and inflexible hours that causes the most stress (and occasionally malaise.)
To that end, online high schools are a great way of engaging students who are less than thrilled to be back at school. Because online schools are self-paced and flexible, students can allocate their energy where they see fit, spending more time on concepts they find challenging and less time on material that comes easy to them. This helps personalize their studies and make it their own.
To enroll, find a Canadian online high school that’s Ministry-approved, offering courses toward a diploma, and simply sign up whenever. There’s no official “start date” with online courses.
Use the New Year as an Opportunity to Reassess, Restart, and Set Goals
View the new year as an opportunity for a fresh start. Reassess what worked (and what didn’t) last semester, and set achievable goals based on that. With a new leaf turned over, your kid can feel like they are focused on future success – not past frustrations.
Talk About What They Learned in the Fall
Make it a part of the daily conversation at home to ask them what they learned last fall. Sometimes, all it takes for students to retain information is to recall it out loud. The more opportunities they have to demonstrate their knowledge, the better they will retain the material. This also goes for new concepts they are currently learning this spring.
Encourage Them to Read
Even reading that isn’t directly related to school still has academic benefits. Whether your kid is reading novels, magazines or – gasp – even comics, they are exercising their imagination, critical thinking abilities and memory. Plus, reading during non-school hours makes them more comfortable with the practice; that way, when it’s time to read for school, they can jump in with ease.
As the excitement of the holiday season dies down and the decorations make their way back to the attic, don’t let your kids’ love of learning fade too. Follow these simple tips to keep them engaged, sharp and motivated throughout the spring – and beyond!
