Sylvan Learning offers tips to prevent summer learning loss

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (Dakota News Now) - Michelle McGuckin, Center Director for Sylvan Learning in Sioux Falls, has some tips to help prevent school-aged children from falling behind when the new school year arrives and to help keep their skills sharp throughout the summer.

“I think as a parent, I have several children myself, is to recognize that it’s okay for your kid to be bored sometimes. It might be really annoying and they might ask you ‘What am I supposed to do?’ but you know having a little boredom is okay because kids can use that to find out ways to express themselves and what they’re interested in. Yesterday, my kids were bothering me. I was at home, they were bored, and we decided not to watch the television and by the end of the day, they were putting together a puzzle. That wouldn’t have happened if we had turned on the TV, so really staying away from electronics, playing too many video games, being on your phone too much, watching too many shows, is important,” said McGuckin.

Currently, Sylvan Learning offers summer tutoring to help children continue and even improve their reading skills going into the new school year.

“They come in, they usually stay for about two hours. That’s four hours of tutoring in a week, it’s only twice a week. While we’re here, we try to keep them engaged. They’re sitting at a table where it’s a three-to-one ratio, so you have your teacher and then you only have three kids with that teacher. The teacher is really, actively teaching them. They’re actively keeping them engaged. They make sure that they’re focused on their learning and our program itself is meant to focus on the key learning needs so that they’re always engaged, but not to that point of frustration,” said McGuckin.

McGuckin recommends making sure children read daily throughout the summer break.

“When a student is working so hard all school year and they’re building up all of this knowledge and they’re really starting to do well and, obviously, that’s a wonderful thing to see as a parent, the last thing you want them to do is to lose that over the summer. They work so hard over the school year, we really want to make sure that we prevent that summer learning loss. They’ve worked hard for their knowledge, let’s help them keep it,” said McGuckin.

Learn more about Sylvan Learning’s summer tutoring here.