Year after year, educators dedicate countless hours refining students’ core skills and helping them reach their true potential. However, what happens to those treasured skills during seasonal gaps in the time spent outside of the classroom?
If you don’t use it, you may not lose it, but handwriting skills that aren’t practiced can lead to disjointed performance upon a student’s return to the classroom.
Studies have shown that instructional friction stemming from spring and summer breaks can leave educators playing catch-up with students instead of making strides in learning new material.
“The evidence is clear: children do forget skills and knowledge learned in the previous school year. But if families and educators encourage kids to stay engaged in learning throughout the summer, students may not only maintain, but improve their knowledge.”
-Psychology Today
Having a consistent educational routine is crucial to ensuring a learning path that’s free of friction and without disruption. This means that the duty to provide continued learning also leans on families throughout seasonal gaps, especially with home learning being ever-present.
However, structured handwriting practice can be easy and fun for you and your students. Here are a few simple ways to help guarantee their skills stay sharp over breaks in school while developing a life-long love for reading and writing.
1. Use a program that respects your time.
Time is non-refundable. That’s why it’s essential to make the most of it, in and out of the classroom. Flexibility without compromising efficacy can make a world of difference in keeping student literacy skills razor-sharp even through seasonal gaps. Programs that are worth your time are the ones that respect your time.
2. Find opportunities for accelerated learning and intervention.
Seasonal breaks welcome some much-needed R&R for hard-at-work students. But that doesn’t mean their learning needs to suffer while they’re at rest. Opportunities that employ accelerated learning strategies throughout school gaps keep students engaged and their developing handwriting wheels spinning in as little as 15-minute sprints without taking away from playtime.
Use resources that develop fine and gross motor skills.
Literacy masters are born from refined motor skills during development stages. From learning grip technique to proper letter formation, practice makes perfect and keeps students on their toes while building a deeper understanding of reading and writing foundations.
4. Explore learning-at-home resources for continued support.
For teachers looking to sustain their students' learning trajectories, utilizing resources that can support learning from home limit the negative effects of curricular disruption and keep students propelled forward with steady momentum. Many materials can be purchased and sent home with guidance for families to enrich learning away from the classroom environment.
Resources for the journey ahead:
The educational journey is never-ending. Looking to steer your students to handwriting success? Our new accelerated handwriting program teaches core handwriting skills in 4 to 6 weeks and is designed for students who need extra support to be writing at grade level or are ready to go beyond their grade level.
So whether you need support at summer school, enrichment, tutoring, or aftercare programs, this new solution helps save you and your students time while building skills they'll cherish for a lifetime.
