Activities and Strategies that Improve Students’ Readiness for Learning

As your child grows and changes, he or she will reach critical developmental milestones that allow them to perform age-specific tasks in the classroom

The various stages in child development are cognitive, linguistic, social, emotional, and physical skills. For example, if your child is entering the third grade, your child should be able to “acquire the ability to develop logical reasoning and solve different kinds of problems [...] however may have difficulty thinking about and discussing possible answers to questions” (Driscoll, 2015). Within this age group, students are in the process of certain skill development that tends to require a lot of adult guidance. This is referred to as the “zone of proximal development”, which determines what students are capable of doing with or without assistance (Driscoll, 2019).

It is important to either discuss with your child’s teacher or research reading/mathematical skills that should be acquired by a certain grade level. If your child struggles to perform certain skills, summer learning activities and strategies can positively impact your child’s growth and performance before they return to school. There are free or affordable K-8 resources that you can take advantage of such as purchasing workbooks from Barnes and Nobles or navigating age-appropriate digital platforms such as:

Integrated subjects

https://ixl.com/

https://www.education.com/

https://www.abcmouse.com/

https://www.brainpop.com/

https://www.khanacademy.org/

Math

https://www.prodigygame.com/main-en/

https://www.splashlearn.com/

Science

https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning

https://www.generationgenius.com/

Reading and writing

https://newsela.com/

https://www.getepic.com/

https://www.storylineonline.net/

Reference

Driscoll, M.P. (2005). Psychology of Learning for Instruction. (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. 9780205375196