The Star – Meghan Leahy
“What are your thoughts for keeping children fresh/up on things so the transition back to school isn’t too tough? My child is going into Grade 4 and we have lots of fun all summer, then returning to school is beyond difficult and it takes him three months to get back into the routine and remember he has to do work. Is there a little work we should do this summer? While still enjoying the summer, of course. When I read this question, I knew that there would be more than one parent having the same concern, especially coming at the end of the academic year. A couple of years back, one of my children switched schools for second grade. It soon became clear that my daughter, who was good at school and liked it, was a full year behind in math. She and I were shocked and disheartened. What were we going to do? Homework was an impossible task as the numbers swam in front of her eyes. Every night, she sat with her head in her hands and cried. I looked on, powerless. The school swung into action, giving her intense help with a specialist a couple of days a week. The math skills came fairly quickly; the confidence took longer. My daughter felt pretty insecure for a long time. But between math games and reassuring smiles from the specialist, my daughter fully caught up in both skills and confidence.”(more)