How to Support a Child With Academic Issues This Summer

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If your child has academic issues in school, you may be incredibly nervous about the summer. A few months off means inevitably, kids will lose some of what they learned but a child who has academic issues to begin with, will lose more than his or her peers. How do you handle the situation while also allowing your child to have a summer? The reality is today kids face more pressure in school than I did or my peers did growing up, so kids need a break too in order to perform well. Here are strategies you can do to help your struggling child over the summer.

1. Tutoring Services

There are many tutoring centers and services that provide academic support and skill building for the summer. Me? I personally would advise picking a teacher from within your child’s school or district to provide tutoring services for a child with academic issues over the summer, rather than a chain tutoring center.

Your teacher will already know what the district requires of your child for the following year, and may have an understanding of the issues he or she had already. However, I would be hesitant to sign on the actual teacher your child had for the year as they may be a bit sick of each other. If they are not, your child’s teacher would be a nice touch.

2. Breaks

Diffuse the pressure. Your child, if he or she is struggling with academic issues, will probably be looking forward to summer simply for the less stress and workload. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t support your child with work over the summer to strengthen his or her skills, but that you need to give the child as much time to have fun too. Some parents view the summer as time to crack down a bit too much, not leaving enough room for a child to let off steam.

3. In Groups

You may want to try small group tutoring to keep the atmosphere more like school and perhaps a bit more social and fun for your child.

4. Assess

If your child has not been assessed by the Child study team or a school psychologist, you may want to use the summer to have your child with academic issues assessed by the school or a private contractor. Some children may simply need more time and effort to catch up to the average national standards, whereas other children may be presenting with a learning issue or disability and need extra support to get over the hump come September.

5. Refresh

Talk to your child about what he or she felt went wrong with the school year, and how next year can be different. Your child may make suggestions that are not realistic but for the ones that are, sit down and make a plan with your child for how you can switch things up for next year to help support your child and allow him or her to have a happier school year next year!