Did you know that American students have not always had a long summer vacation? Before the Civil War, kids that lived on farms went to school during the hottest and coldest months and stayed home during the months they were needed on the farm. Meanwhile, kids in the city attended school year-round.
However, as cities grew, they became hot due to the urban heat island effect. Air conditioning hadn’t been invented yet. School attendance wasn’t mandatory yet, either. Absences skyrocketed, so legislators started cutting days from the hottest part of the year.
We’re not saying that everyone should go back to school year-round, but we are saying that it would be wise to continue learning during the summer months. Without practice, students will lose on average 2 months of learning.
Luckily, there are many summer reading incentive programs to help keep your child motivated to read. For a list of our favorites, check out our blog post “How to Prevent the Summer Slide…Read, Read, Read!”
