Prevent the "Summer Slide"

Research has shown that children who read and work on skills during the summer come back ready to learn. They do not need as much review once the new school year begins! Here are some things to help your child get ready for the first grade.

• Read for 15 minutes every day. This includes reading to your child and listening to him/her read.
• After reading a book, ask comprehension questions about the characters, setting, plot, and talk about unfamiliar words.
• Take advantage of Ekstrand’s Summer Library program on Tuesdays from 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM, visit the public library, or other school libraries.
• Keep a journal. Write for 5 minutes every day. Work on starting sentences with capital letters, ending with punctuation, spaces between words and neat printing.
• Write a letter or type an email to a friend or relative.
• Practice the 50 kindergarten sight words and begin working on the first grade sight words. Make flashcards to practice them.
• Visit a museum—Kidspace in Pasadena, Discovery Center in Santa Ana, and the Museum of Science and Industry in LA are just a few local ones.
• Play board games like Checkers, Monopoly, Clue or work on puzzles

Below you will find the summer packet I created for students going into first grade. The packet includes suggestions for things to work on each day during the summer.

Click this link to download my Summer Packet!