"Hi everyone, I'm Dr. Stephanie Camaglia Reznick. I'm a board certified internist and one of the medical directors for Virtual Primary Care here at Oscar.
In today's video, I actually will be addressing you less as a physician and more as a mother.
This past school year has been very unique and challenging because of the pandemic, and so the summer might be a bit challenging. Even during a normal summer, there are concerns about what's called the "summer slide" or the "summer slump." Basically, because the kids aren't in school anymore, they forget a little bit of what they learned.
Given how unique the school year was, it's even more important this summer to help fight against the summer slump.
Now, this doesn't mean that it has to be boring or frustrating or painful. So, I'd like to provide some tips on how to make this fun.
First, encourage some leisure reading throughout the summer. This can be non-pressure time to read. You can read with your child, to your child, or your child can read to you or a sibling or a pet.
You can create fun reading challenges, like who can read the most number of pages in one day or can aim to be a certain number of minutes each week. Or you can try to read in different ways like reading in pajamas, reading in a tent, reading outside. Whatever you choose, you can be creative and make it a lot of fun.
Incorporate learning in your day to day
You can try to incorporate other academics into play and every day.
For example, if you're going grocery shopping, you can ask your child if they can figure out:
How much change you should be getting
How many $20 bills would it take to pay for the grocery bill for the month and so forth, or
Playing a game like the game of Life which involves a lot of counting of money, especially at the very end to see who the winner is.
For language arts, consider playing Scrabble or doing Mad Libs, which helps to enforce the different parts of speech.
There are also a lot of great educational websites and apps available online. If you're not opposed to screen time, a lot of streaming services also offer many educational and interesting videos that you can watch together and then discuss with your children.
Of course, none of this should feel forced and children should be able to take breaks and do fun things.
How to support your child's health
Remember to stay active
Whether it's formal camp, doing arts and crafts, going outside and running around, it's extremely important that kids stay active during the summer. Whether you're just playing around or doing sports outside, you can get creative.
For example, yoga is not only great for the body, but it's really great for the mind especially during this stressful time.
Nurture their mental health
Speaking of mental health, children have often felt a lot of stress from the pandemic and that's completely normal. You can watch for any signs of this over the summer.
In addition to yoga, many apps offer meditation for children, and this can be very helpful.
Of course, if you have concerns, never hesitate to ask your pediatric.
If you're willing to talk to your child, remember to listen. If your child's willing to talk to you, be there and listen to them. They probably have a lot to say. It's amazing how much we can learn when we take the time out to just talk.
Preparing for the school year
Finally, as we get closer to fall, you might want to consider reaching out to your child's teacher to talk about transitioning back to the school year. It may actually be their first time going back to in-person school since before the pandemic.
Preparing your child and easing them into it will likely be helpful regardless of what you do or what your approach is.
Whether there is the pandemic or not, parenthood is all about being patient and not just being patient with your child — although that is important — but being patient with yourself. This is certainly something I have to remind myself as well."
Updated July 22, 2021
*Virtual providers like Dr. Reznick are employed by Oscar Medical Group and are not employed by Oscar Health, Inc.
**In 2021, Oscar Virtual Primary Care will only be available to Oscar members on individual & family plans in Miami, FL, Fort Lauderdale, FL, Palm Beach, FL, Houston, TX, Dallas, TX, Austin, TX, Denver, CO, and New York, NY, pending regulatory approval. Oscar's Virtual Primary Care offerings are only available for members ages 18 and over. Prescriptions, visits and services may be limited per provider discretion. Virtual Primary Care is not available in CA. If you have an HSA-compatible high-deductible health plan or a Secure plan in any state, you won't be eligible for $0 follow-up services.
This content does not constitute medical advice and is not meant to be a substitute for professional medical advice, including diagnosis or treatment. Contact your physician with any questions you may have regarding COVID-19 or your personal health. If you are experiencing a medical emergency, dial 911 for immediate assistance.
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