Help Your Child Strengthen Math Skills Over School Vacation

Find a summer math tutor who can help your child gain confidence in the upcoming school year. Choosing a math tutor who is adaptable, proficient, and flexible is the key to your child's success.

Finding a summer math tutor for your child to keep her math skills sharp during the summer months is crucial for her success now and in the next grade level. Math is one subject in which constant learning is always helpful as the concepts are build on previously learned material. If your child is struggling with math during the school year, summer is a good time to catch up. 

Get Help From a Summer Math Tutor:

• Help your child catch up, prepare for the next grade level and keep her there so she is more confident in the fall and stays on top of her class
  

• Summer math tutor provides worksheets for extra practice that can help your child keep her math skills fresh

• Help your child prevent learning loss and summer brain drain
• Challenge children that are at par with the class to get ahead and become more competitive

Any way you look at it, a math tutor can help your child get ready for the upcoming school year.

Tips for Finding a Good Summer Math Tutor

Identify your child's needs. Talk to her teacher, look at her previous report cards, and share those with the tutor and ask for his/her suggestions and preferred approach.

Flexible scheduling. This is very important in the summer months. Your plans change and you may want to reschedule your child's tutoring sessions.

Can you switch tutors? If you are going for a tutoring service like ClickandClimb's  online summer math enrichment camp for instance, as opposed to an individual, ask if you can switch the tutor if the appointed tutor is not a good match.

Will the tutor give worksheets for extra practice? Depending on your child's schedule, this could be very helpful to get some extra practice.

Online or in-person? Compare both options. A tutor that works with your child online can have several advantages like- no travel time, study from home, more fun for children.

I always recommend parents and students to take an assessment test prior to starting their tutoring sessions. This is mutually beneficial- for parents/student and the tutor both. The result of the assessment gives a clear indication of where the student really stands. A lot of parents think that their son or daughter is having difficulties with word problems. Upon completing the assessment test, it turns out that the child lacks the basic fundamental knowledge of multiplication and division!

Now the tutor could have started helping the student with word problems and eventually, say after 3-4 sessions, figured out that the basic fundamentals are not strong, resulting in frustration and waste of time and money. The assessment test also helps parents understand their child's strengths and weaknesses and makes their expectations from the tutoring sessions more realistic. 

Based on the outcome of the assessment test, the tutor can create a lesson plan right from the get-go and have a targeted approach to helping the student. There is no guess work and the tutoring sessions will be aimed at improving the fundamental concepts of the student which will help her in the long run.

Why is assessment test more important in summer?

During the academic year, there is a lot of pressure on students- multiple subjects, extracurricular activities, competitive tests, school projects etc. It's easy to look at the short term goal of completing your homework or prepare for the upcoming test. 

Summer is the time when parents and students should take a step back and evaluate their performance during the last academic year and plan for the next grade level. Assess yourself and work on the areas that you need assistance with. This is precisely the reason we started offering assessment test for free with our summer math tutoring plans. If the assessment test results look good, it re-enforces that you are ready for the next grade level and you can start preparing for the same to have a smooth transition during the fall and to stay on top of your class.

Have you had your son or daughter take a math assessment test this summer yet?

Math worksheets for practice during summer

A great way to keep children in touch with academics during the summer months is to have them solve math worksheets every now and then. This works great for public, private and homeschooling students.

I recommend finding worksheets with an answer key. When students solve worksheets and compare their answers from the answer key, they get instant feedback and that keeps them motivated.  Below are the links to worksheets published on ClickandClimb.com.

5th grade math worksheet

6th grade math worksheet

7th grade math worksheet

Math videos for practice

If students get stuck or are finding a particular topic difficult to understand, math videos can be a great solution. These videos can be watched at anytime and any number of times to get the concepts cleared. Our teachers have created math tutorial videos on a lot of topics (area, ratio proportion, integers, real numbers, number theory, fractions etc) and upload them on our youtube channel. You can watch the videos at this link:-

Math tutorial Videos

Let us know if you find these helpful and if there are other topics for which you would like to see the videos/worksheets.

In a previous post, we talked about homeschooling through the summer months and its various advantages including:

No review needed in fall
More Freedom and Flexibility
Less Burnout
Practice and Master the Concepts
Get Evaluated

Advantage of enrolling in an Online Summer Math Program?

I mentioned in the previous post that homeschooling parents should consider online summer math programs. One of the advantages that I briefly talked about was- Homeschooling parents being able to learn from the tutor at the same time as their children. This does not mean that homeschooling parents cannot do a good job teaching themselves using the curriculum of their choice but almost all of you would agree that at multiple times you have felt the need for a professional guidance. This could be due to complexity of the topic at hand, the way you have been teaching, the lack of explanation in the curriculum or all of the above.

Now imagine this- you enroll in an online summer math program (1-on-1) where a professional and caring tutor works with you and your child together using your curriculum. Won't it be of great help to solidify your fundamentals before you start afresh in fall? Start with an assessment test to see where you really stand. Some of the advantages that I can clearly think of are:-

1. Have your child solve an assessment test and then go over the completed test in presence of a tutor to see what are his/her thoughts. Did your child make silly mistakes to finish the test sooner? Did she not know some of the concepts well?

2. Get some hints on how to teach a specific topic

3. How to make a specific topic easy and fun to understand

4. Ask questions to the tutor to grasp the topic well and retain it so you can reproduce it at a later time

5. Take notes and create your own cheat sheet that can be used later

Read why online math tutoring can be a great homeschooling resource.

Can you think of any other advantages of you and your child working together with a  tutor?

It is not uncommon for a child to know certain facts and then forget them when new facts are learned. This is especially common during the summer months, when children can spend less time studying or learning. Because there is that long time span of not going to class, sometimes children will lose some of the knowledge acquired during the school year. It is easy to forget something when it isn't practiced enough. To prevent learning loss in children during summer months, there are a variety of things parents can do.

Play Learning Games

Learning games are a great way to prevent learning loss in children during the summer months. These can be simple games that you make up and play with your child. You also can buy many learning games online and in educational stores. Many games that are just for fun can be turned into learning games with a simple variation. Be creative. This is a great way to keep a child's brain active, while allowing him or her to have fun as well. Even simple things like doing the dishes, playing ring toss, or buying groceries can be used as a fun lesson.

Read, Read, Read

Reading is an activity that many kids enjoy. It's also a required activity for progress in learning. Joining a summer reading program or visiting the library often can help prevent learning loss in children during summer months. Most libraries have summer reading programs. You also can get creative and let the kids invent their own. Either way, keep track of what is read over the summer and reward the child for a job well done. Summer reading programs may already offer rewards, but an award from parents can be very meaningful to a child. This is a great way to boost confidence.

Enroll the Child in a Summer Math Program

Summer tutoring online or summer math programs are an excellent way to prevent learning loss in children during the summer months. It may seem like this will be an interruption to a deserved break. But, summer learning programs can be very convenient and flexible. Children should have time to play during the summer, but their brains should also be kept active. Online summer learning programs are one way of doing so with flexibility. A good online summer math program will allow flexibility in time schedules, as well as a customized learning process that both you and your child will be comfortable with.

Take Educational Family Trips

So we decided to offer a Rainy Tuesday special today (this is the first ever I think for us)- contact us today (see below) for our Online Summer Math Enrichment Camp and get 10% off any plan.

Beginner and Advanced level summer courses offered: Pre-Algebra, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Statistics, Probability, Calculus, AP courses, SAT prep and more.

Here is what you get with the 10 and 20-session packages (no extra cost)

• Consultation with the academic director

• Customized assessment test

• Live 1-on-1 tutoring sessions

• Lesson plans based on the assessment test results

• Worksheets and tests for extra practice

• Progress report to enable you to track the student's performance

• 100% money-back guarantee

Sessions can be scheduled anytime between now and Aug 24th. Complete Flexibility. Ask us about customized plans.

You can  contact us by Requesting a demo

Few tweets (twitter.com) about Summer math program. It's clear how parents and students feel differently about it!

What are parents saying

My son sits in front of a computer all day for Math. Does that really count as summer school? Where is the teacher and accountability?

How do I best use this summer to prep my son for upcoming 6th grade math and beyond?

Son has forgotten all the math he learned in the past year. Mom panics. Turns out it's typical; it's called Almost Summer Vacation Syndrome.

And my darling daughter failed 8th grade math and I have to pay 300 dollars for 1 credit in summer school. WTF!! There goes all the fun!!

Summer acts like a mental eraser, with the avg. child reprtdly forgetting 1 mo's-worth of instrctn and almost three times that in math.

I am having the kids do some math and reading, is that mean for me to make them do that on their summer break? THEY DO NEED IT 

How do kids feel about it

math test today? =( paper due today? oh how i love summer classes!! NOT

hard math homework....stupid summer school >:(

*sigh* I have to go to summer school tomorrow ugh math is my worst subject 

is in love with some pretty good music right now, wants a pair of tomsshoes, and thinks summer math class SUCKS! 

OMG. i'm going to summer schoo! ahhahaha. stupid math. 

lmao i swear if i have to go to summer schoool..i will bomb my math teacher's house 

hahaha my friend has to do math the whole summer. SUCKAH! 

i HATE math. so why is mom trying to give me a test to do in the middle of summer vacation

never take a MATH class in the summer. It's torture. U better find some games to play on ur phone. 

Summer math class - death by numbers! 

To Homeschool Through The Summer, Or Not To: That Is The Question. Year- round homeschooling has its advantages as well as disadvantages.

Some homeschooling families like to follow the public school schedule when it comes to holidays so there are no interruptions like school kids calling and knocking on the door, kids wanting to play and so on. Others like to homeschool year-round, taking time off as and when they need it.

Advantages of Homeschooling Through The Summer

1. No review needed in fall: Families who are engaged with academics and are in touch with the subjects during the summer months, will not need to spend time reviewing the concepts and get started with the fall curriculum right away.

2. More Freedom and Flexibility: Homeschooling families have all the flexibility in the world. They can take breaks throughout the year- on completion of a course, holidays, major accomplishments, family vacations etc. 

3. Less Burnout: If homeschooling families take breaks throughout the year, the students are less likely to get burnt-out unlike the students in public schools who desperately wait for summer months for a break.

4. Practice and Master the Concepts: There are some math concepts that either get skipped or don't get the required attention during the year. Use the summer months to work with a professional tutor, catch-up on those concepts and master them before moving forward to the fall curriculum.

5. Get Evaluated: Summer is also a good time to make sure that the concepts you learned through the year stay strong and your child's skills stay sharp. With the help of a professional tutor, you can get an assessment of your skills and get help on the areas that need attention. 

Our Online Summer Math Enrichment Camp is a great way to get the summer math help for homeschooling families. What makes it different from other programs?- Homeschooling parent and student(s) can both learn from the tutor at the same time- enabling the parent to get a solid grasp and relay it to the student(s) at a later time. Work with the tutor and create your own cheat sheet that can be referred to at a later time, or for the next child that you are going to homeschool. ClickandClimb.com tutors use your curriculum to teach you at your pace!

Are you planning to homeschool through the summer months? Why or why not? Share your thoughts.

During the summer months, students may experience what is commonly referred to as “summer brain drain.” This is when a loss of learned skills or lack of motivation to learn occurs. Because many students are not in school during summer months, they may not be using their brain as much. This inactivity is what causes summer brain drain. When essential skills are not practiced, they can be forgotten. There are many activities parents can do with kids to help keep summer brain drain at bay.

To prevent summer brain drain, it is a good idea to make sure something is being learned every day during the summer vacation. To do this, one thing that parents can do is to be sure that kids are reading every day. Reading is essential in keeping the brain active. Be creative with the reading. Choose reading materials that involve other lessons and skills, such as math and science. Reading material also does not always have to be a children's book.

Children need to read books often and at their level, but they can read other things as well. Let children read ingredients on food packages in the store, travel brochures for a family trip, and even instructions to put together a summer toy. Not only will the child feel special that parents trust him or her with these tasks, but it is a fun way to sneak in some reading practice and help combat that summer brain drain.

In addition, parents may choose to prevent summer brain drain with tutoring or a summer math course. Reading and math can both slip during the summer months, often due to summer brain drain. Math skills especially suffer. Online summer math programs are a great way for a child to practice math skills. Many times, such programs can be designed around what a child has learned or what will be learned in the upcoming school year.

Whether a child is attending homeschool or a traditional institution, tutoring can be beneficial. Online math programs also can be very convenient, due to the flexibility factor. Summer vacation may be filled with various extracurricular and family activities. Online programs can give a child the chance to have fun, while still taking time out to learn as well.

Discuss your child's goals and needs with instructors or coordinators of any summer math programs you are considering. There should be someone knowledgeable enough to determine how best to help prevent summer brain drain. Each child is different and a good program will recognize that.

Solution:

Difference = 40 - 30 = 10

Hence percent = 10/30 * 100 = 33.33%