Rose Pavlov: Combating the Summer Slide

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Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Rose Pavlov, GoLocalWorcester Child Expert

Striking the right balance is an ongoing endeavor for kids and caregivers alike. Studies show that inactivity during the summer months can cause children to gain weight three times faster and lose more than two months of reading progress than during the school year. This is referred to as the summer slide or summer learning loss.

Without a structured regimen and ample free time, kids are more inclined to disengage from mindful activities and watch television, use computers and other gadgets and play video games while indulging in unhealthy food choices for hours on end. Identifying the right program and enrolling children in mindful movement-based classes during the summer will ensure nourishment for their minds and bodies.

Scheduling Thanks Into Our Daily Lives 

Creating connections for kids to stay engaged in constructive and stimulating activities while keeping it simple is key. Developing a manageable schedule that does not stretch kids or caregivers is essential. Journaling is a powerful tool: whether creating a list of short- and long-term goals to a log of summer reading to a daily gratitude journal. Encourage your child to keep a journal - with initially drawing images, then evolving to a short list and then later to sentences to convey appreciation of daily experiences (according to age-appropriate skills and themes).

Research studies exhibit the benefits in identifying and writing about five things we appreciate. Individuals who implemented this mindfulness technique for two months reported a more optimistic outlook, enhanced wellbeing, healthy sleep patterns and more consistency with exercise. In my household, we have integrated daily gratitude time through family prayer at home or while commuting together in the car or by scribbling in our journals before bedtime. My four year old, Laiya, draws images, while my seven-year-old son, Noah, has evolved from a short list to full sentences.

Seek mutually beneficial programs in your community to teach children positive emotional skills, self-regulation and healthy habits to curb summer learning loss or the summer slide.

A Local Resource for the Summer and Beyond 

Metrowest Yoga has locations in Worcester and Westborough. According to owner and yoga expert Shawn Shaw, “Metrowest caters to all people, no matter what level. We are an alignment-based studio that teaches primarily Vinyasa and Hot Hatha. By joining forces with community partners, we aim to provide children with the tools they need to be happy, peaceful people and contribute to the world in a positive way."

There are many summer programs options throughout the city. However, Metrowest Yoga is the first of its kind in the area to launch a Kids Yoga and Mindfulness Summer Program. This will incorporate traditional yoga poses as well as contemporary ones inspired by nature to encourage enhanced imagination and participation by the children. The mindfulness component will assist children with identifying nuanced, complex emotions and with controlling stress triggers to circumvent negative patterns of thought and behavior.

Rose Pavlov is a cross-cultural positive child specialist and founder of Ivy Child International.  

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