Summer slide, the learning loss that happens during the months school is out, is real–but the solution is summer fun, not summer school.

There are plenty of engaging, structured activities a kid can enjoy over the summer but also remember to leave children plenty of free time, too. Relax and let loose–just remember to be safe.

Ah, summer! How we love you for carefree days and absence of rigid schedules that come with the school year. As we turn off alarm clocks, kids breathe a sigh of relief about the reprieve from nightly homework, and we look forward to time together at home and during summer vacations, it’s the perfect time to seize opportunities to have meaningful conversations to continue learning.

In some states, kids are already out of school and starting summer activities. In other states, the countdown is on! Summer break! Swimming pools, camps, vacations and NO SCHOOL! But for parents, summer break can be a real stressor: work doesn’t take a summer break, and kids and tweens need a carefully planned calendar of events. What to do?

Summer’s pleasure is also its danger. While summer offers a chance to slow the sometimes too-hectic pace of the school year, it also brings the sort of idleness that gets kids into trouble.

With no classes, kids are more likely to sit around, staring at screens and snacking. Besides contributing to the learning loss teachers call the “summer slide,” these habits are unhealthy.

Increased social media use can magnify worries such cyber bullying, fear of missing out, and poor self-esteem. When older kids do get out of the house, they are more likely to be unsupervised and susceptible to negative peer pressure to make risky choices.

It does not have to be this way. Summer can be an opportunity to engage and grow without over-scheduling or pricey camps.

So, how can a family relax without falling apart over the summer?

If I have one golden piece of parenting advice, it’s the Erma Bombeck quip to not have more kids than you have windows in your car. If I had a second piece of parenting advice, it would be that car trips are the best time to have deep conversations with your children.

Spring Break is a distant, happy memory and we are now in the home stretch of the school year.  Yet there are still important things to learn, tests to take, and field trips to experience. It may be tempting to put ourselves on cruise control and start counting down the days until summer break, but this is a great time to start conversations with students about preparing for their time away from school.

And even though April has come and gone, we will continue to celebrate this movement. We want to discuss the parental role in helping our kids take action to be responsible, safe, and productive human beings. More specifically, we want to tackle the fear that many parents have that discussing important issues like alcohol responsibility with their kids is helicopter parenting, not so affectionately known as “helicoptering.”

Simone Biles helps us wrap up our month of #Responsibility

When kids ask “why,” they are doing a lot more than seeking information on a specific topic. Anyone who has been chased around by a preschooler peppering every moment with “why?” can confirm that.

Hi! I’m the Hippocampus, and I am the Sportscaster for the BRAIN POWER team. Hippocampus is Greek for “seahorse,” which is perfect for me, as you can see from my shape. Just like when you watch a sporting event, the sportscaster is responsible for making the event spectacular—evoking emotions and excitement to all those watching or listening.