Will the Summer Slide be Worse in Quarantine?

Writers Studio students, whether they live in Illinois, Wisconsin, New Jersey or Canada, know summer is a great time for kids of any age to launch a blog, journal daily, discuss vacation spots on Tripadvisor.com, take part in the New York Times Summer Reading Contest, get started on writing Fan Fiction, review movies on movies.com, respond to #BlackLivesMatter news coverage with an Op-Ed, or even write long emails to grandparents. This is the stuff of their online writing workshops. And this summer, with COVID-19 and the quarantine, this enrichment and intellectual engagement is more important than ever! Just ask MIT brain researchers.

In summers past, trips and activities were the stuff of children's days. As brain science researchers will tell you, these experiences strengthen and deepen neural activity and neural connections. They boost brain power. According to MIT scientists, "When the brain forms memories or learns a new task, it encodes the new information by tuning connections between neurons. MIT neuroscientists have discovered a novel mechanism that contributes to the strengthening of these connections, also called synapses."

Like most summers, this year too, the summer slide will come in to play ( pun unintended). However, given the limited activity and stimulation, this year's summer slide could be much worse. This matters for all kids. For high school rising seniors, especially, this is a risk they cannot afford. So what is a parent to do?

Psychology Today writer, Susan Reynolds, has some suggestions. " ...(activities) that require you to think, contemplate, and struggle to understand what’s being said or explained generates new neurons, increases neuronal connections, and speeds up mental processing. Verbal acuity acquired through extensive reading, one of the positive traits identified in the study, also bolsters connectivity. ..study and analyze unfamiliar topics," she says.

This, in a nutshell, is what reading and writing does for the brain. It super powers brain development.

So How Will You Tackle the Summer Slide in Quarantine?

1. Write for Any Reason

If your child loves reading, consider contributing book reviews to Amazon.com, local libraries, independent book stores like Glen Ellyn's Just the Book Store, and even suburban newspapers.

2. Write for Competitions
Urge children to compete in contests. Recognition adds much to a student's self-confidence, not to mention to his or her resume for college. Losing, and learning to handle that, is a life skill too.

3. Contribute to Websites
Having a real reason to write can make all the difference. Have students submit their writing for publication. Writers Studio students have contributed to the likes of Medium.com, Patch.com, Amazing-kids.org, Mashable.com and more. We're all experts at something, irrespective of age. Now let the world know! (Article continues below)

The key is consistency. Set aside at least 30 minutes a week to write and get it done. Writing proficiency not only gives a child a competitive edge in school but opens doors at the university level.

"Publishing and contests were always something I wanted to do but never came close to making happen. Bailey's writing portfolio would never have had as many pieces in it nor would those pieces be nearly so good were it not for (Writers Studio) workshops. She's enjoying her writing journey," says parent, Jenifer Bystry, one of the Writers Studio's very first participants.

North Glen Ellyn based Writers Studio and offers online writing workshops to students in grades 3 and above. Students at Writers Studio, on average, experience a full school year worth of improvement in writing proficiency, and critical thinking, with just 20-25 hours of consistent coaching. Come fall and the new school year, all their writing will ensure these kids have a head start when schools reopen whether on site or online!