Summer Learning 2024

Kenny Chesney performed in the DC area last weekend and we still have "...sweet, sweet Summertime..." playing in our heads this week. But how do we make sure the learning doesn't stop for adults or kids over the summer? Here are some of our favorite summer learning activities.

Ways to learn outdoors!

Most of us - kids or adults - are ready to get away from a desk. But learning can still happen outdoors, in the yard, at the beach, or at the pool.

• Read in the grass (as pictured below) or if reading is a challenge, audiobooks are great! Listening to books can also increase vocabulary and language skills. Many local libraries have audiobooks and you can also subscribe to services like Audible Plus. Podcasts are another great way to learn on the go.
  

• Similarly, many people ask about whether their dysgraphic students should take a foreign language. While the writing and spelling may be quite difficult, most of our community is able to learn to understand and speak foreign languages. Try language immersion. There are many paid programs but you can also find a lot of free content for kids or adults just by searching for the language on YouTube! (Subscribe to our channel while you are there.)

• We mention this every year, but still believe in it. You can teach some 'explicit writing' skills orally. Encourage kids to create a story or compose a short "essay" verbally. Try asking:

  • What did you think about [insert today's summer break activity]?

  • Why? Can you tell me three reasons you felt that way? or What three things did you like/dislike the most?

  • Why is that important? or So, what did you learn about [activity]?

Then you can decide if you want to tell them that they just "wrote" a structured paragraph.

Skillbuilding

Summer is good time to learn new skills and improve others that may not be focused on during the school year. Here are a few to consider:

• Typing. Keyboarding is so important for dysgraphic students as they get older. Short summer typing lessons are great to reinforce skills. Touch-type Read and Spell (TTRS) is still our favorite program because it teaches typing using an Orton-Gillingham based phonics approach. (Note: we are an affiliate. But our link automatically gives you a 10% discount, or you can use the code DGLIFE. ) Typing Club is a good free resource. And Nitro Type is great for improving speed once they have the basics down.

• Cursive. Not taught in many schools, but can be so helpful. Read our early blog on cursive here. A great place to start is the Learning Without Tears Cursive books.

Catching Up

Particularly for adults, slower summer month can be a great way to catch up on content that you may have missed. Have some extra time? Rewatch all of our free Dysgraphia Webinar Series episodes in the archive at the bottom of this page or on YouTube.

We hope everyone has a great summer!

What are your favorite summer learning activities? Tell us in the comments below!

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Important note: Dysgraphia Life is an affiliate partner of Amazon and TTRS and may earn a percentage on purchases at no cost to you. We still only recommend items that we feel could be beneficial for our community!