How to Prevent Summer Slide

byElizabeth Preston

5 min to read
Summer Students having fun

Summer is an important time for students to recharge from a challenging school year. But while they spend time decompressing, sometimes progress can unfortunately swing in the opposite direction, leading to the dreaded “summer slide” (also known as summer learning loss). Find the balance between letting your kids have a well-deserved break while also preventing summer learning loss with our helpful tips for encouraging summer reading and studying. But first, what is the “summer slide?”

What Is the “Summer Slide”?

Also referred to as summer learning loss or the summer setback, The “summer slide” in education refers to the phenomena that happens when students forget some of the previous school year’s academic material over the course of the summer. In general, students may lose one to two months of learned reading material and one to three months of learned mathematics.  

Considering recent research, perhaps the summer slide should be best thought of as the “summer slowdown” or the “summer stagnation” in learning. Since students are not continuously exposed to school during the summer, they may not be learning new things, and they may experience some learning loss. 
 
Luckily, there are ways to prevent summer learning loss.

A girl playing before starting her summer break study plan

How to Prevent Summer Learning Loss

The best way to counteract the summer slide and keep students prepared for the next school year is to find creative ways to practice reading, writing, and math. Here are some of our favorite suggestions for helping students with learning, growing, and studying during the summer break.

1. Encourage non-school-related summer reading.

Encourage your child to select books on topics and subjects that they want to learn about. Fiction or nonfiction, science or history, ghost stories or mystery books—almost any subject is a good subject when it comes to reading over the summer. 
 
Also, if your child is a reluctant reader, consider reading with your kids over the summer. This will keep their young minds active and strong, and it will play a crucial role in expanding their vocabularies by building their love of reading. Plus, who doesn’t love some extra family time?

2. Find a summer reading program.

Many libraries offer summer reading programs, specifically with the goal of combatting summer lag and gamifying reading and studying for students of all ages. These programs will vary by library and location, but the overall intention is typically the same: to make reading a fun activity for students and even offer prizes or rewards for hitting certain summer reading goals.

3. Turn summer vacations into learning experiences.

Another great way to create a summer learning plan for students is by using a planned summer vacation or trip as a topic of study. For example, if you are planning to visit a new city, then find a few books set in that city or even reference videos to share with your kids to get them excited about the trip. If you’re taking a road trip, then use the mileage as an opportunity to present your child with some fun, math-related challenges, such as calculating time between road stops based on miles left to travel and miles per hour. Or, if you’re visiting a specific museum exhibit, then encourage your kids to research the topic ahead of time so they can ask the museum experts questions.

Keep in mind that educational travel doesn’t have to be expensive or even far from home. You can visit local farms, landmarks, and botanical gardens. Many companies and government offices also offer educational tours.

A girl studying from a book during summer break

4. Turn to the outdoors for learning inspiration.

The summer months bring with them several new seasonal experiences and activities—all of which are ripe for learning about! If your child starts swimming lessons, then that’s a great opportunity to offer biographies of the lives of Olympic swimmers. If you go on hikes together outside in the summer, then find some guidebooks to help your child identify wildlife or plants you may encounter. Summer is a terrific time for students to practice their nature smarts and explore fun, do-it-yourself projects. The possibilities for learning are endless, and you never know what interests may be piqued.

5. Use games to prevent summer learning loss.

Summer learning is easier and more enjoyable when it becomes a game. Use game-based learning and play to take the drudgery out of learning during the summer. Here are some summer learning game ideas:

  • Play math at the pool by having kids retrieve two numbered diving sticks and add or multiply their numbers. 

  • Have kids take turns playing banker in Monopoly or keeping score during card games. 

  • Use Skittles or other small candies as manipulatives while practicing multiplication or division.  

  • Practice spelling and vocabulary by playing Scrabble. 

  • Entertain younger children on car rides by asking them to read road signs or count all the cows or yellow cars they see.

6. Explore summer education programs

For students who need to boost their skills or for those who want to get ahead in earning credits toward graduation, an official summer school program may be the best choice. 
 
Summer school programs, such as Pearson Online Academy's® affordable online courses, allow students to catch up, get ahead, or enrich their summer with learning that can easily fit into family summer plans. 
 
You can also explore summer learning programs offered by camps, colleges, community organizations, and parks.

Parents can Reduce Summer Learning Loss

With the ideas above for inspiration, you’ll be well equipped to keep your children learning during the summer break while still letting them rest and recharge during the summer. For more learning activities and some downloadable project sheets, check out our blog.  

E-guide for Connections Academy with a green background and a graphic of a laptop with the purple eGuide.

Ready to Learn More

About Connections Academy?

Explore the benefits of attending Connections Academy, a tuition-free, accredited online public school that’s passionate about helping your child thrive.  

Get Your Free eGuide

 

Related Posts

  • 11 Parent Tips for Teaching Kindergarten

    by Marilyn Ehm

    A young girl in blue and pink and adult woman in a pink sweater look at laptop while taking an online class at Connections Academy

    When parents, or at Connections Academy® our online Learning Coaches, help kindergarten students learn, it involves much more than reviewing school lessons. One of the most important parts of a kindergartner’s education is making the transition to school fun, while spending time sharpening their basic learning skills. 

    Whether you’re a parent or a teacher who is new to distance learning, or you’re a Learning Coach in one of our virtual schools, we’ve compiled 11 tips for teaching kindergarten in a school from home environment:

     

    1. Teach proper online school behavior.

    Your student has to learn how to follow virtual classroom guidelines and safety rules. They must also practice good manners and treat others with respect. 

     

    2. Develop fine-motor and computer learning skills.

    Help your student practice writing letters and numbers, assembling puzzles, using scissors, and tying shoes. For fine-tuning technology skills, check out these learning game sites that keep digital learning fun. 

     

    3. Spark creativity with online learning activities.

    Give your kindergartner time to draw, paint, or review the eight basic colors while they work. Browse our Pinterest board for fun, do-it-yourself online learning activities(opens in a new tab) you can start today from the comfort of your home! 

     

    4. Build in socializing in your distance education.

    Make an effort to organize study groups or playgroups, and also get your child involved in an outside extracurricular activity. They need to spend time working with other children to learn how to share, take turns, listen, solve problems, and respect the property and feelings of others. Learn more from one of our Connections Academy parents on how they implemented socialization into school from home. 

     

    5. Expand your kindergartener’s vocabulary.  

    Be thoughtful of using proper language to help your child build vocabulary. Expose your kindergarten student to a world of language that’s used in real-life situations. Always introduce an unfamiliar word with a follow-up definition. For example, “Johnny, I’d prefer you to sit on your bottom in the chair. Do you know what I mean by ‘prefer’? That means I would like you to sit instead of kneeling on the chair, please.” Introducing your child to a broad range of language stimulates good conversation and deeper thinking skills. 

     

    6. Develop a love for reading and writing.  

    Developing your kindergartner’s reading comprehension means boosting their interest in reading. Introduce your student to book-friendly environments by taking trips to the local library and building your book collection at home. There are also great online reading resources as well. 

     

    7. Make kindergarten math fun.

    Do hands-on activities using math manipulatives, which are paper clips, buttons, pennies, or any other small objects with which students can count. These can help students practice counting to 10, do basic addition and subtraction, and learn how to use the words and phrases “more,” “less,” “same as,” “none,” “some,” and “all.” Want some fresh air? Try these outdoor nature math activities to keep math fun. 

     

    8. Experiment with science.  

    Study science through activities and experimentation. For example, your student can make a volcano out of a watermelon. During these types of activities, encourage your student to ask questions, make observations, and compare and contrast objects and materials. 

    Trying the study tips above can help keep your kindergartener engaged during school. Learning Coaches from our virtual schools share their advice for conducting study sessions, so check out their suggestions below: 

     

    9. Work together. 

    The younger the student is, the more guidance they will need while studying. Walking your student through each step is a good technique early on, but make sure to also take some measures to boost your kindergartner’s independence throughout the year.

    “I have [my son] sit on my lap as I read the questions, and I click on the answers he gives. If he does not seem to understand the question as asked, I offer another way to ask the same question or I try to get him to think deeper about his response until he understands what the question is asking.” 

     

    10. Take short breaks when schooling from home.  

    When your student gets bored and restless while studying, just take a short break. One parent said, “We had healthy snacks and active move-around times between classes when the kids were younger.” These techniques also work for study time later in the day. 

     

    11. Learn on the move.  

    “We used a hop ball as a chair for a couple years,” said a parent. An exercise ball would work well too. Letting your student move around instead of sitting still can be effective for students who work better when using touch and movement. Moving to a different room can also stimulate your student’s senses, like this indoor physical fitness trail activity. This parent also mentioned: 

    “For language arts, we took the text to bed, snuggled, read, and discussed the story before going back to the computer.”

    We hope these tips for teaching kindergarten will make this school year fun and rewarding for you. For more ideas and best practices, check out how for over 20 years we’ve been helping parents make distance learning work.

    read more