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SUMMER PROGRAMS
Registration Now Open!
Reading/Writing/Math
Help your child gain confidence in core reading skills. In this one-on-one, week-long program, your child will participate in multi-sensory activities, computer games, and phonological-based programs to strengthen their foundational reading skills.
Help your child to build comprehension skills. During this one-on-one week-long program, students will learn to build comprehension skills through character analysis, chapter summaries, theme exploration, and annotation.
An individualized approach to improving a student's writing. In this week-long, one-on-one series, students will learn strategies to assist them in every step of the writing process, including pre-writing, researching, drafting, revising, and editing.
Provide one-on-one support, helping your child build confidence in math skills including: basic math (grades 3-8), pre-algebra, algebra, geometry, calculus and SAT/ACT level math.
During this one-on-one or small group, week-long program, students will actively engage in reading through Thinking Organized strategies and activities.
Executive Functioning - INTENSIVES
An individualized approach to improving key elements of a student's executive functioning skills that will assist with a smooth transition to the new school year.
An intensive program designed to introduce students to a variety of memory and studying strategies.
College
A seminar series for students preparing to apply to college and their parents.
A summer series that will focus on the key areas that tend to get overlooked while preparing to head off to college.
Group-Based Programs
In this program, children will work together to develop problem-solving and executive functioning skills through engaging, hands-on challenges.
A group-based program where your child will work with peers to plan a trip to a DC landmark, sporting event, or museum. After their trip, they will produce a scrapbook summarizing the planning process and documenting their adventure.
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Executive Functioning Skills and Summer Fun
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A
lthough temperatures are near freezing in many parts of the country right now, the thought of summer camp is not far from the mind of many parents. Whether it's a sports camp, an art camp, or a technology camp, students find themselves involved in fun activities on almost a daily basis.
While we're not one to darken students' days by reminding them that school isn't far away, it is important for students to budget time in their schedules for tasks that target and develop their executive functioning skills over the summer.
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WHY PRACTICE OVER THE SUMMER?
Summer is generally seen as a time of relaxation for students, and who can blame them? After going months where they have to wake up early, sit in a classroom for eight hours, and then leave to complete homework, students rightfully deserve a break. However, it's important to realize that taking a break doesn't mean completely neglecting school.
- Prevent the Summer Slide. When students don't work on their academics for an extended period, they experience the "summer slide," where the skills they learned during the school year begin to decline. As a result, they are at a disadvantage when the new academic year begins. The same holds true for executive functioning skills: if your children shove their planners under their beds or leave their summer homework for the last minute, they will have a hard time falling back into the routines of recording their homework or breaking down large tasks into smaller pieces. By practicing these skills consistently, your children will be able to more easily adapt to their school routine when the Fall rolls around.
- Maintain a positive attitude. With their summer habits of sleeping in late and watching as many movies as they want in a single day, resuming the usual school routine can be difficult for many students and might lead to resentment and a lack of motivation to utilize the strategies they developed the previous year. By working on executive functioning skills over the summer, students learn to internalize them and recognize their impact on one's life. No longer will these skills seem isolated or only meant for academics; instead, your children will see that skills such as time management, written language, and problem-solving are present in every facet of their lives.
- Ability to choose their own project. Many students have a hard time focusing during the school year on material that they are uninterested in. Summer vacation gives them a chance to choose material that they are sincerely curious or passionate about and then come up with a project that will enable them to learn more about it. Whether they decide to plan a trip to Harry Potter World, complete a summer reading challenge, or learn how to play an instrument, their executive functioning skills will get a workout -- all while your children get to apply these skills to a topic they enjoy.
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FUN WAYS TO PRACTICE EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING SKILLS
If your children are wary of adding more academic tasks to their daily schedules, you can easily create fun activities that will enhance your children's executive functioning skills. After all, executive functioning skills are needed for every task a person is faced with, and not just those involving homework!
- Plan a trip. Whether it's a trip to the beach or another state, involve your children in the planning process. Have them devise a packing list to help everyone stay organized, and ask them to identify an itinerary. Your children can help choose activities to do and estimate how long each will take so that their itinerary is accurate.
- Experiment with new foods. The school year can be hectic, which makes summer the perfect time to try new recipes. Ask your children to poll family members to see what types of food they'd be willing to try, and then have your children conduct research to locate a recipe that adheres to a majority of people's criteria. During the cooking phase, encourage your children to assist in the preparation stage by following the directions you set for them.
- Complete a DIY project. Buying something is easy; it takes a lot of planning, self-regulating, and emotional control to create something. When your children have a break from camp, prompt them to choose a do-it-yourself project and set goals for what work they should every day or every week to help them fulfill their vision.
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THINKING ORGANIZED PROGRAMS
While it's important for your children to practice their executive functioning skills via projects they personally enjoy, it's also crucial that they develop these skills with trained professionals.
This summer, Thinking Organized is offering numerous programs to supplement the activities suggested above. Before signing up for a program, ask your children to reflect on what they consider to be their academic strengths and weaknesses. Then, browse through our options with your children. Perhaps they would like to develop their writing process? Would they benefit from learning effective studying strategies?
We offer programs in writing, reading, mathematics, studying, social pragmatics, material organization, and time management, so be sure to check them all out!
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FINAL THOUGHTS
Students have the earned the right to relax over the summer break, but they should still budget time to enhance their executive functioning skills. By choosing an activity that they are legitimately interested in, they will have a fun time developing these crucial skills. As you begin to prepare for your children's summer, remember to Think Organized and look at the programs that we are offering!
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