Students can lose quite a bit of math proficiency over the summer break, which puts them at a disadvantage at the beginning of the next school year. Parents appreciate help bridging the summer math gap with their children, and summer tutoring is a great way to do that. Tutoring is also a great way for teachers to earn supplemental income over the summer months. Before you start tutoring, there are some important things you need to consider. Keep reading to learn more about 5 helpful tips for tutoring math over the summer.
1. Choose Resources the Students Will Enjoy and Are Easy to Grade
For me, this is the most important of the 5 Helpful Tips for Tutoring Math Over the Summer. As far as students are concerned, they want something fun to do. They also don’t want to have to work too hard because let’s face it, it’s summer break. These are the summer math packets that I use, and they are a big hit with students.
They have a fun summer theme that students enjoy, and they break the math into small pieces. These packets divide the summer math into nine pages of multiple-choice questions and nine skills pages. Students complete 1 of each (2 pages total) every week for a comprehensive review of their previous year’s math.
There are detailed answer keys for easy grading, and you can even have your students self-correct their summer packets.
2. Use a Reliable Scheduler or Calendar to Organize Your Sessions
Once you have more than a couple of students each week, it can be challenging to schedule everyone and keep track of your time. There are many online schedulers, but I prefer paper and pencil so I have the flexibility of changing things when I want to.
This is my favorite calendar to use. I love the printable version for my personal/family obligations, and the digital version would be great for scheduling your tutoring students. Just upload the files to your Google drive and keep everything there.
I love the pastel colors, and there are also options for bright colors, black and white, and calming blues and green. They feature seven different layouts, so there’s lots of flexibility in scheduling your students. They even come with free updates every year.
These calendars are also great for lesson planning too. Check out this blog post on 3 Ways to Plan Lessons with Digital Planners.
3. Work With Parents to Create Goals and Rewards
A lot of students need motivation to do math over the summer months. I like to use rewards to incentivize completing the math packets. Ask the students or parents what goal would motivate your students. Start with smaller rewards like going out for ice cream, then move to bigger goals like having friends over to the house for a get together or a visit to their favorite summer destination. Rewards will depend on the student’s age and what the parents feel is appropriate for their family budget.
4. Find a Location That’s Comfortable to Work In
I often tutored in my home since that was the most convenient for me. It was a little stressful making sure things were picked up and ready for students. I also made sure I had a space for parents and students to wait if they arrived early while I was working with another student.
If using your home isn’t an option then consider the public library, school, or even a coffee shop. Ask permission to use any of these spaces and know that you might need to pay a fee to use the space. Make sure the lighting is good, the temperature is comfortable, and it’s quiet. Students also like some privacy when working and it’s nice if there aren’t too many distractions.
5. Create Clear Policies and Payment Options
I always suggest that you have a tutoring contract or agreement when working with students. It’s so important to communicate your expectations as well as what you’re able to do. For help with your policies and payment options, check out this post on Helpful Things To Consider When Creating a Tutoring Contract.
I hope this article on 5 Helpful Tips for Tutoring Math Over the Summer is helpful. I wish you all the success in the world as you start tutoring your studnets.