Ernst Friedrich Schumacher, an influential economist and thinker in the first half of the twentieth century, wrote that “An ounce of practice is generally worth more than a ton of theory.” Although he may be referring to economic theory and application, I think his words have a much broader meaning. I am not sure about you, but in my life, I have discovered that an ounce of practice is worth its weight in gold, especially when it involves my children.

For example, both of my daughters take piano lessons every week. Although I believe that one day they will appreciate this skill, right now they find these lessons to be a burden in their life. However, I have discovered that there attitude towards piano lessons are dependent upon the amount of practice that they put in over the past week. If they have been diligent and practiced regularly, they actually look forward to the lesson. However, if they have not practiced sufficiently, getting them to go usually turns into a fight.

This has made me wonder about other aspects of their life and whether they fear doing things because they do not feel ready. Are they afraid to participate or raise their hand in school because they have not prepared appropriately for the class? Would they feel more motivated to engage in classroom discussion if they practiced more?

During the school year, preparing for lessons is relatively straightforward. Teachers send home assignments, kids work on these assignments, and, through practice, they prepare for their next day lessons. However, the summer is a little trickier.

According to researchers, children lose on average about 2 months of math and reading skills if they are not actively practicing educational skills during the summer months. This means that the first few months of the new school year is first spent catching children back up to where they were before they left of the summer.

As parents, we need to be looking for ways to help our children practice writing, reading, and math skills while they are participating in Scout trips, summer camps, and other activities during the summer. One way to help them practice these skills is to sign them up for Brain Chase.

Brain Chase is designed to provide children with six weeks of consistent practice in reading, writing, and math. Participants are expected to complete the following each week:

• Writing Assignment – Once a week participants are required to complete a journal entry to help them practice their writing skills. For more information on these assignments, click here.
• Math Assignment – Every week, they are expected to log over 10,000 energy points in math practice through the Khan Academy. If you would like to learn more about this, click here.
• Reading Assignment – Participants are also expected to read a total of 75 minutes a week through the myOn digital book library. More information about this can be found here.

As parents, we want our children to be the most successful person that they can be. We want them to have confidence and feel secure in their own ability. Reaching this level requires consistent practice, even during the summer months.