Help Your Grandchildren Keep Learning This Summer

This summer, AARP Foundation Experience Corps and PBS KIDS are collaborating to help prevent learning loss.

New episodes of the popular PBS KIDS Word Girl TV show will air on your local PBS affiliate and on YouTube throughout the summer. A Super Summer Fun Book has been created to accompany each show. You can download the activity book, set your own pace to watch the program on YouTube and reinforce those lessons with the book’s fun activities all summer long.

Children Face Challenges During Summer


According to research , all children experience learning losses when they don’t engage in educational activities during the summer. For lower-income children, the losses are even greater as they typically don’t have as much access to learning activities.

AARP Foundation Experience Corps volunteers see this firsthand. Experience Corps utilizes adults 50 and older in 22 urban communities across the country to provide tutoring support and mentoring to elementary-age children who are falling behind on reading.

“Students come back to school after summer and many have lost ground on reading,” says Catherine Measaros, Experience Corps branch director in Philadelphia. “These activity books are a fun way for parents [or grandparents] to get children engaged in learning again.”

Get the lastest updates on where we stand — AARP Advocacy Newsletter »

Schools and Summer Programs Join the Fun

During an end-of-year parent night at Moscone Elementary in San Francisco, Alejandro Teran was delighted to receive the extra resources for his daughter Naret. “I’m just learning about summer learning loss,” he said. “We like Word Girl and this is really fun!” In the Bay Area, more than 1,600 booklets have been distributed to schools offering the Experience Corps program.

The booklets also are being used by libraries and summer school programs. Fiona Bradford, assistant director of New Haven Reads in Connecticut, planned to share them with summer school students. “We are delighted to have these activity books to give to our students this summer,” she said. “These books are full of a diverse range of fun activities that our students will love and they will help them work on their literacy skills during the vacation.”

Help Children Learn to Read During the School Year

Experience Corps is seeking volunteers to help tutor elementary-age children throughout the school year. No experience is required; we provide extensive training. A one-year commitment is required in order to provide our students with consistent support. Want to learn more? Visit our website for details.

Photo: Jeni Johnson

Also of Interest

• Using Video Games to Connect Grandparents With Grandkids
• Skin Cancer: Don't Ignore the Signs
• Get Involved: Learn How You Can Give Back
• Join AARP: savings, resources and news for your well-being

 

See the  AARP home page for deals, savings tips, trivia and more.