Summer is the time of pools and playgrounds and a break from the routine. At the same time, many parents worry about their child’s academics while not in school. You’re not alone in this worry! The summer slide is summer learning loss, or losing hard earned academic skills and progress when on summer break. This frustrating slide can be avoided by doing a few simple activities throughout the summer to keep children learning and engaged. 

General Tips to Keep Reading Over the Summer!

Here is the best news: even if you do only one activity to prevent summer slide, it will help your child academically for the following school year! Every little bit helps, and the easiest way to prevent the summer slide is to work a little each day. Here are some tips and pointers to prevent the summer slide in reading. Feel free to use whatever works for your family!

• It should only take 2-3 hours a week to prevent summer learning loss. The older your child is the longer they can work for. Planning a daily schedule can set your kids up for academic success now and in the future.

• Learning takes time, be patient and kind.

• If you make it a routine, your child will understand it is non-negotiable. So, learning should happen at the same time everyday!

• Offer rewards, such as extra screen time, more playtime with a best friend or a meal at a favorite restaurant. 

• Have your child read! They should be reading for 20-30 minutes every day to prevent a summer slide. That is something they can do independently. They can read to a little sibling or even the family pet. It can be unsupervised depending on the age. If your child is not reading yet, then read to them. Sometimes if a child is old enough to read, they LOVE being read to! This can be done at night before bedtime or in the morning while they are eating breakfast, instead of watching TV. 

• Choose a cool chapter book or maybe one of your childhood favorites to share with them. You can even read this book together to make it more enjoyable!

• Consider starting a book club with your pre-teen or teenager, either with you or a neighbor or a friend. Sometimes local libraries have them already set up, so they can join there!

• Set up a contest for your child. If they read a certain amount of books, they will get pizza, or a special treat of their choice! Make sure you set a certain number of books they should read. Also, many schools have a system set up. So, if that is the case, you can just double the prize or add an additional one that will motivate your child!

• Let your child pick out the books they want to read. This often helps encourage reluctant readers. Take them to the library or the book store. Make it a fun outing!

• When your child is reading, try to sneak in some reading skills in addition to reading books. Some ideas for reading practice are letter and sound recognition for the younger readers. For older readers, encourage them to “dig deeper” in the text. Reflect on the text with “thick questions” instead of “surface questions” (more on thick and thin questions here).

General Tips to Keep Writing over the Summer!

Writing and reading are closely connected. It is important to write every day in the summer.  Encourage your child to share their thoughts, be creative, and improve their writing and penmanship skills. 

Here are some ideas for pre-writers (students that aren’t quite writing yet):  

• You can  have them tell you a story as you write it down, or practice their fine motor skills and write their letters and their name. 

• Use fun and creative tools to write, such as whiteboards, chalkboards, sand, paint or shaving cream. It will really keep your younger child engaged, because to them it is like playtime! They won’t realize they are actually learning. 

Here are some beginning writer ideas.

• Have your child write a sentence and draw a picture that connects to the sentence. 

• If you recently took a day trip, went on a vacation or took a walk, describe what they saw in some detail. 

• Have them focus on using capitals, finger spaces, punctuation, and sounding out their words. These are all important parts to developing your child's writing as they get older.

Here are some ideas for independent writers:

• Have your child keep a journal and write what they do or document their thoughts!

• Pass notes! Write to your child and have them respond to you. Sit next to them on the couch for 10 minutes, write them a question in a notebook and have them answer. Keep that momentum going back and forth. Super fun activity and very engaging!

• Have your child write a book of their own. It doesn’t have to be long. This can also be done over a longer period of time. 

• Write a comic strip with your child.

• Ask them to write a thank you note to a family member for presents they received. 

• Always keep writing fun, by using gel pens, markers or even crayons. Always use different colors! That keeps children engaged and motivated.

• If your child is really motivated about a certain topic, have them research that topic and write about it. It doesn't have to be long, just get them to write!

About the author:

Carla Martinucci has a Master in Reading and a Master in Special Education. She is licensed as a learning behavior specialist and reading specialist has been teaching for over 25 years.