What is "Holiday Brain Drain"?
Holiday Brain Drain is not a medical condition or any cause for alarm. It is a situation when your student gets off their school learning schedule and their mind files what they have learned away in long term memory.When your student returns to school it takes a little longer for them to get back into their learning routine.Fun Strategies To Avoid "Holiday Brain Drain"
The best way to avoid "Holiday Brain Drain" is introduce some audio, tactile and visual learning activities to your student that are fun in small stretches of time. Here are some suggestions:
- Board and Guessing Games: Games like Scrabble, Trivial Pursuits, Scattegories, Monopoly teach important concepts and skills your student uses in the classroom. For more information read this article on "The Benefits of Board Games" from Scholastic.com
- Educational Game Websites: Your school may already use websites like Funbrain and Coolmath as part of your student's curriculum and the holidays can allow your student extra time to explore these sites to their fullest. Here is a link to the top 10 education game sites on the web.
- Reading: Reading an hour per day is good for your student. It gives them a sense of adventure while building comprehension, language and writing skills. One way to get students to read during holidays is to introduce age appropriate graphic novels. The pictures and words in these books stimulate associations and the imagination. Here is a list of 39 graphic novels that maybe available at your local library: 39 Graphic Novels Kids Can't Resist
- Family Dance Off and other Physical Activity: Okay, this is not one of those "sit down and be quiet" learning activities but it is physical activity. Too much holiday food, the couch and television can make the brain lazy. Cardio activity can be fun and stimulating.
Cooper Middle School PTSA hopes that your family has a wonderful and safety holiday
