5 Signs of Learning Struggles to Watch for Outside of School
Learning struggles can be easy to spot during the school year. Teachers send home notes. Grades suffer. The stress of school piles up. But for many kids, their learning struggles extend beyond the classroom. Summer is a great time to identify some of the real-life ways weak cognitive skills are impacting the way their brain works and interacts with the world. Here are a few of the top signs that point to deeper learning struggles to watch for this summer:
Regressing or forgetting what they learned
It’s normal for kids to forget some of what they learn over the school year, but if you’re concerned by your child’s lack of retention, it could be an important sign to watch for. Low long-term memory impacts school performance, but it can also wreck confidence and cause issues down the road. Some things that you can do to maintain momentum outside of school would be:
- Reading often! Read books about a variety of topics to keep the learning going all year.
- Be engaged with your kids’ subjects of interest and struggle. If you know it’s something they are interested in, it may be easy to create opportunities to revisit that content. For areas where they struggle, you may just need to get a little more creative.
- Build memory skills. Brain training at LearningRx has strengthened long-term memory for clients of all ages.
Struggles with organization and time-management
Organization and time management both require lots of different cognitive skills. If your child’s spaces are always messy, they’re always asking “what should I do now?”, or they seem to have no concept of time, it could be a sign of skill weaknesses that are also impacting their education, relationships, and other areas of life.
Learn more about the connection between cognitive skills & organization here >>
Lack of engagement and motivation
A sudden disinterest in learning or a lack of motivation during the summer months could indicate underlying cognitive difficulties like weak logic, processing speed, and executive function. If your child appears unenthusiastic or avoids educational activities altogether, it may be worth considering cognitive training options. At LearningRx, our programs are designed to ignite a passion for learning and boost engagement in a fun, game-like environment, setting your child up for success in and out of the classroom.
Lack of confidence with reading or comprehension
If your kids have difficulty recognizing words, maintaining focus while reading, or understanding the meaning of the text, it’s essential to address these issues promptly. Summer reading is a great opportunity to take stock of your child’s reading skills and struggles. If what you’re seeing concerns you, investigating an effective, research-based reading intervention like this one is important!
Challenges with math or problem-solving
If your child struggles with basic math concepts, problem-solving skills, or understanding word problems (even in things like grocery trips and day-to-day math concepts), building math confidence is so important. Comfort with number concepts and math processes can make life easier and build confidence for school and beyond. Over the summer, games are a great low-pressure way to practice math concepts! Here are some of our favorites.
What do you do when you notice learning struggles?
Some will say give it time, others say you may need tutoring… as a parent, there are so many options and opinions to sift through. As you go about making a plan to help your child thrive in school and beyond, consider this: everything you do, see, learn, hear, and think goes through a network of cognitive skills in your brain. Building them has implications that reach FAR beyond a grade level or class.
Rather than just re-teaching information, LearningRx targets and strengthens the skills you use to learn in the first place. Learn more about what makes LearningRx’s approach unique here!
