Students at risk for summer learning loss: Educational technology provides fun options to retain core skills

Students can lose as much as two months of their learning skills over the summer months, according to the U.S. Department of Education. This summer learning loss phenomenon, known as the “summer slide,” puts students at risk for falling behind – year after year – in core subjects like math and reading.

With most Atlanta area students returning to school in a few short weeks, now’s the time to help your kids catch back up. Verizon’s Zakir Burrow offers these four tips to create a mobile summer classroom at home, in the car or even on a plane before the kids head back to school:

· Create a digital library with interactive book apps like Google Play Books or Kindle to maintain reading skills. Budding bookworms can tap on a difficult word or page in the Booksy app to hear it read aloud. Booksy features leveled readers on science topics, social science, math and everyday activities, stars and trophies to reward progress, and quizzes to encourage reading comprehension.

· Keep core skills sharp with educational apps that reinforce STEM-related concepts through app creation, coding basics, math games and science lessons. The MIT App Inventor puts kids in the creator’s seat to develop their own apps, while games like iTooch use entertaining activities tied to National Common Core Standards to teach health, language arts, math, music and science.

· Master the fine arts by journaling about summer vacation, creating a neighborhood newsletter or developing a photography hobby. The new LG G Pad X8.3 eliminates the need for paper while still encouraging natural handwriting with a built-in stylus. Capture vibrant nature photos or HD video of a family vacation with the 8MP camera, or snap quick selfies with a simple hand gesture.

· Turn fitness into fun with the iBitz PowerKey, which attaches to a child’s shoe and unlocks new games and levels with every step. Children learn about health and nutrition and parents can track progress on a smartphone.

“Summer is the best time to get outside and explore, and wireless technology makes self discovery and hands on learning even easier so children can avoid the summer slide,” Burrow said.

Note: National Summer Learning Day is Thursday, July 14. Click here for an interactive map of National Summer Learning Day events in your area.