Could Summer Learning Be the Secret to Your Child’s College Success?

Summer break doesn’t mean pressing pause on learning. In fact, summer learning can help your child stay sharp, explore new interests, and return to school more confident. For college-bound kids, it builds habits that can shape long-term success — all while making the most of the season.

Calvin Hobbs, founding first grade teacher at KIPP Detroit Imani Academy, says, “Engagement over the summer for children is more critical now than ever before. Disengagement is a summer expectation — but it shouldn’t be.”

Rediscover your child through summer learning

Instead of taking a full academic break, plan your summer as a way to reconnect with your child — and help them rediscover what makes learning joyful.

“Use the summer to rediscover who your children are after they have had 200 days of instruction,” suggests Hobbs. “Your children change every second. Every year they are more equipped, more knowledgeable, more understanding, more challenging and more empathetic. Use the summer to understand who they are as people.”

Look for learning opportunities across Oakland, Wayne, Macomb and Washtenaw counties that encourage exploration, not just academics.

Let interests lead: build learning around what they love

The secret to summer learning? Follow your child’s interests. Ask what excites them, then build from there.

• Make a list of favorite topics and characters.
• Visit your local library — many offer free access to ebooks and audiobooks through apps like Libby and Hoopla.
• Try DEAR (Drop Everything and Read) time, even just for 15 minutes a day.
  

Hobbs says, “Reading is the biggest education reform topic on the table. We have to get our kids to read. Any time can be ‘drop everything and read’ time — your kids know it as DEAR time.”

Connect school to real life

Help concepts stick by connecting what they learned in class to real-life interests.

“I read for pleasure. I read to learn and to understand something. I read to teach,” says Hobbs. “Reading is for everything you want to do, but we have to show them all reading isn’t the reading they may not necessarily like.”

Try this:

• Math and sports: Books like Who Was Jackie Robinson? make numbers come alive.
• History and storytelling: Bud, Not Buddy, by Michigan author Christopher Paul Curtis, and At Ellis Island bring historical eras to life.
• Comics and literacy: If they love Batman or Spiderman, look for books about those characters.
  

“When kids talk about how much they love Batman and Spiderman, I cultivate that interest through reading,” Hobbs adds. “Not toys, but books. That pushes them to learn how to read because they want to read the content of the people they like.”

Confidence grows with summer learning

Keeping skills fresh over the summer supports confidence, especially as kids enter middle school.

May Manna-Denha, Literacy Coach Consultant at Macomb Intermediate School District, says, “Self-esteem is critical for kids today, especially.”

• Aim for 20-30 minutes of daily reading.
• Let older kids read to younger siblings.
• Offer high-interest reading materials — yes, even comic books.
  

Learning happens everywhere

Summer learning doesn’t have to be formal. Use everyday moments in your community to engage your child’s mind.

• Join a club or summer camp. “Cooking clubs, book clubs, sports and community engagement are all options children can try,” says Hobbs.
• Try something new. Let your child explore activities to discover what they love — or don’t.
• Involve them in errands. Without screens, they notice more and practice social interaction.
• Teach budgeting. “How much is enough and how much do I need? How much do we have left?” Hobbs says. “All the tasks we take for granted are part of enrichment for the whole child.”
• Connect with elders. “Children need to spend time with elders,” says Hobbs. “They are (human) libraries that connect us to the past and help us understand the present.”
  

Set the stage for the future

Even young kids can begin to dream big — and parents can help by keeping learning alive all year long.

“Setting up a mentor for your child early in the high school years can help guide and support them along the way,” says Manna-Denha.

Content sponsored by Michigan Education Savings Program. Learn more at MIsaves.com. Find more articles like this at Metro Parent’s Making Your Child’s College Dreams Come True.

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