Summer Learning: Setting Expectations

by Jerome J. Schultz, Ph.D.

During dinner-table discussions, family meetings, or rides in the car, create the expectation that learning will continue over the summer. This is not a negotiable topic! Parents need to go beyond "Let's walk down the hall on the last day and see your new classroom," and create both an expectation and atmosphere of continuous learning.

Parents and teachers who ask kids what they plan on learning this summer are helping to set the expectation for continuous learning. A pre-summer comment such as: "You have learned 300 new vocabulary words this year and I'm sure that you can learn at least 20 more over the summer" is a step in that direction. Teachers who start school off in the fall with a discussion of what kids learned over the summer show that they value learning that occurs during that time.

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