This article was written by one of the Stepping Stone Tutors Study Skills Tutors. If you know of anyone who might be interested in study skills tuition, please do get in contact.

The consistent countdown to the last day of school can be seemingly unending for most students. The opportunity to return their text books and bid a less than begrudging farewell to tutoring and their learning institution is an event that is certainly worth the wait. But as a parent you might be concerned about what is lost during the summer break when test prep and learning are put on hold in favor of outdoor play and other more trivial pursuits.

You’d be right to worry about this: studies have shown that students who do not review or intake new information lose a great deal of what they learned in the previous year during the summer break. The lack of learning stimulation also makes it quite difficult for most students to get back into the learning groove once the new school year begins, which can result in low marks in the beginning of the term and a difficult race to catch up toward exam time.

So how do you counteract the learning loss that takes place during the summer down-time? Continued mental and creative stimulation is the best way to ward off the summer squandering that most students indulge in. Enrolling your student with an online tutor will help them to remain active in learning, if only a day or two per week. This part-time approach to summer learning may seem trivial in result, but with the continued stimulation that your child will receive even in this short amount of time you’ll see improved results in learning retention.

With reviews, test prep for GED and other important examinations, and the continued stimulation offered through tutoring services your child will not only better retain the information that they’ve learned but they’ll also be ready to meet the new year head on.