School breaks
Summer Slide: How to Keep Kids Learning Over the Break
Over a long break, many children lose some of what they learned during the school year, math most of all. A little practice most days keeps it fresh, and still leaves plenty of summer for fun.
What is the summer slide?
“Summer slide” is the drop in reading and math skills many children have after a long break from school. Studies of school test scores have found that, on average, children start the new year a little behind where they ended the last one, and that math tends to slip more than reading.
It isn’t every child, and it isn’t permanent, but the first weeks of the new year often go on catching up.
Why does math slip more than reading over the summer?
Math slips more because children rarely use it on vacation. Families keep reading in the summer: bedtime stories, signs, menus. But few children meet fractions or subtraction with borrowing at the beach. Skills that aren’t used fade, and math facts fade fastest, so a few minutes of math most days matters most.
How can I prevent the summer slide?
Keep a short daily routine: 15–20 minutes of reading a day and 10–15 minutes of math most days, at the same time each day. Add a little writing now and then, like a postcard or a summer diary. Take real breaks for trips and holidays, and pick up again when you’re home.
- Reading: 15–20 minutes a day. Library books they choose, comics included. Reading what they enjoy counts.
- Math: 10–15 minutes, most days. Review last year’s facts and skills, then a peek at next year’s.
- Writing: a little, now and then. A postcard, a summer diary, a list for a trip.
- Same time each day. Right after breakfast works well: done before the fun starts.
- Take real breaks. Holidays and trips are learning too. Pick up again when you’re home.
How can kids learn over the summer without worksheets?
Fold reading and math into everyday summer life. Double a recipe and measure cups and spoons. Add prices and work out change at the store. Read maps and signs on trips, and count the hours to arrival. Borrow a library book about the birds or bugs you find outside.
- Cooking: doubling a recipe, measuring cups and spoons.
- Shopping: adding prices, working out change.
- Trips: reading maps and signs, counting the hours to arrival.
- Nature: a library book about the birds or bugs you find.
Quick questions
How much should kids study in summer?
About 20–30 minutes of reading and math most days is plenty for kids 4–10. The goal is to keep skills fresh, not to repeat the school day.
Should my child work ahead on next year’s math?
Review first: make sure last year’s facts and skills are solid. Then a little of next year’s work can give a confident start.
Do comics and graphic novels count as summer reading?
Yes. Reading what they enjoy keeps children reading, and that’s what keeps skills fresh.
When should we start getting ready for the new school year?
A couple of weeks before school starts, move practice back to the school-year time and review last year’s math facts. Children walk in feeling ready instead of rusty.