Should Kids Work on School Work During Summer Vacation?

Should kids work on school work during summer vacation? 

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As a teacher and parent I am curious as to what others think about this topic.  Whether you are a teacher, parent, administrator, or home school teacher, I would like your opinion.  Is there a balance as to how much we should expect from our children over the summer?  What if your child is gifted, or your child needs work in a certain area?  Should we push our children all summer to catch them up, keep them where they are, or continue to enrich them?  How do we battle regression?  Should kids work on school work during summer vacation, or should they just have the summer off?

After some thought, here are some tips for parents who may want their children to complete some academics over the summer.
1.  Clearly identify what you want to accomplish.
You are leading your child over the summer vacation, not the teacher.  Make sure you have a specific goal in mind that you would like to accomplish over the summer.  Whether you want to enrich, maintain, or remediate, you must keep the end result in mind.  What do we need to accomplish?

2.   Be realistic!
 I recommend starting with the calendar, and looking at your child's daily schedule.  Block out all of the holidays, vacation days, and days when family members are visiting.  You can't expect your child to work on school work when the family is at a special event or on vacation.  Also, look at the time that you have left to work with your child.  Is the goal you originally came up with realistic?  You may have to extend your plan into the beginning of the year.

3.  Keep it fun! 
Summer is supposed to be fun.  Don't throw a workbook or worksheets at your child and tell them to just get them done.  Do some research and find some games that your child can play over the summer.  There are many websites that have games that are free.  Our school system has a learning program that is website based that students can still access over the summer.

4.   Evaluate first,...? 
Yes, evaluate the situation first.  If you are already headed toward a stressful situation as a parent, you may want to hire a tutor to help with any needs that your child may have.  You may not have the time or resources to help your child reach their summer goal, but a tutor (a teacher needing money over the summer) is the professional.  You can find a tutor now, meet with them, and discuss the needs that your child has.  Come up with a plan for success.  It's different when a tutor assigns your child work and practice over the summer.  It may be worth the money because the tutor could bet better results.  You can also establish a relationship with a tutor now and can continue tutoring if need arises during the upcoming school year.

5.  Consistency is key! 
Keep your child on some sort of schedule.  If you are wanting to accomplish some academics, consistency is important.  Yes, there will be some off time and some late nights, but you can keep a schedule that is somewhat of a routine and will help your child reach their academic goals. 

I hope these tips will help with your debate with summer school work.  I look forward to seeing some of your responses.  Be sure to have a safe and restful summer!