Benefits of Summer Enrichment Programs

What are Summer Enrichment Programs?

Summer enrichment programs are activities and initiatives that engage students in their education throughout the summer months. This can be used to combat the summer slump regardless of a child’s grade level. Summer enrichment programs can be facilitated by educators or parents at-home or through summer camps. 

The goal of summer enrichment programs is to provide children with quality education that is beneficial to their future success, helps them gain confidence in the classroom, and gets them excited about learning. 

Who Benefits from Summer Enrichment Programs?

There is a common misconception that summer enrichment programs are focused on children who are struggling in their education. That is not the case. Academic summer programs are beneficial to students of all age and skill levels. Whether your child is in elementary school, middle school or high school, summer enrichment programs help to combat the summer slide and teach them valuable life skills they can use in the future.

Allow Students to Learn From Positive Role Models

Mentors can be a pivotal part of a child’s education and future success in the workforce. Summer enrichment programs allow children to meet successful, passionate individuals with similar interests to their own. They can be used as role models and someone to help them navigate their education. Having this role model can help students gain confidence, especially seeing someone “similar” to themselves, and give them a goal of where to go in the future. 

Provides Opportunities to Study Topics They May Not Normally Cover in School

Curriculum is created prior to the school year and is often formatted around Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and Common Core State Standards (CCSS). During summer academic programs, children have the opportunity to learn new things they may not normally be exposed to. This allows your child to interact with new, exciting topics that may turn into a passion of theirs moving forward. 

There Can be Activities for All Different Types of Learners

Not everyone has the same learning style and, oftentimes, educators cannot use every style and tactic in a traditional classroom environment. Summer enrichment programs are great for students who learn best through hands-on learning. They also benefit children who need to spend more time on a subject in order to fully comprehend the material. Summer programs have the flexibility of changing environments and taking the time to answer every student’s question by utilizing camp counselors and volunteers. 

Improve Social Skills and Make New Friends

Summer learning programs are a great place for kids to work on their soft skills. Being around children with similar interests will give them the chance to work on their collaboration, problem solving, and communication skills. While making new friends, they will also be working on skills essential to their future success in the workplace and personal lives. 

Avoid the Summer Slide

 The summer slide or summer slump is a term used to describe learning loss that takes place during the summer months when school is not in session. This leads to educators having to repeat curriculum at the start of the next school year. Summer enrichment programs are designed to minimize or eliminate the summer slump, allowing children to enter the next school year ready to start new lessons. 

Offer Academic Support

If your student is struggling in a subject, academic summer programs can help them get up to speed before the new school year begins. With additional one-on-one time and a slower paced environment, children have the opportunity to ask questions, taking time to think about each lesson. Attending a summer program can benefit your child’s confidence in an area where they currently think they are bad.

Keep Kids Safe and Supervised

As a parent who works over the summer, education programs and summer camps can ensure your child is safe while you are not at home. They will be supervised, engaged with other kids, and bettering themselves through various educational activities. 

Help Build Confidence, Develop Self-Reliance, and Independence

Summer learning programs allow your child to take control of their education. Through self-teaching tactics, they will build confidence in their abilities by working on their independent thinking skills. This academic confidence will help students choose more difficult subjects, challenging themselves throughout their education — especially at the elementary and middle school level.

Create a Sense of Belonging

Being around kids with similar interests can give them a sense of belonging, and is a great way to make lasting friendships. For example, at a robotics camp, children are around other people their age who have a passion for technology. This is something students do not always get during the school year but is a great confidence builder for early and middle childhood development. 

College Preparation for Older High School Students

As students are preparing to choose a college and career path, summer academic programs can be a great way to help them guide this confusing time. Giving them a chance to explore various interests, high school students get a glimpse into their future careers. 

Encourage More Physical Activity

Summer programs can be facilitated indoors or outdoors. Oftentimes, summer curricula utilize hands-on and active learning techniques to get children physically active during each lesson. This has been proven to increase retention rates and is beneficial to their physical and mental health. 

Summer Enrichment with STEM Sports and ESSER III Funds

There are a variety of ways to get your children engaged through summer enrichment programs. STEM Sports® curricula is designed to be implemented in the classroom, at-home, in afterschool programs, or summer camps. Each curriculum uses hands-on learning methods to engage students in science, technology, engineering, and math lessons through sports.

The unique combination of STEM and sports is great for summer programs where students are able to get physically and mentally active during each lesson. While helping combat the summer slide, children are able to gain confidence around complex STEM concepts through the use of real-world examples. 

Are you an educator looking for cross-curricular, quality curriculum to implement with your students using ESSER funds? Click here to learn more about how STEM Sports® aligns with the goals of the ESSER and EANS funds that are combating COVID-19 pandemic learning loss.