Written by Maggie Cerria

Reviewed by Ali Kresch Levine, PsyD

Summertime is here once again!  That may mean long days at the pool, family vacations, and for the kids, it means school's out for summer!  Children across the globe had to adjust to many changes to their formal education this past school year and Summer break is a perfect time to get refreshed and connect with family to help fuel up for the Fall. It's beneficial for all kids to keep at it and stay encouraged to learn in fun and exciting ways this summer. The ‘Summer Slide’ happens when kids are not actively engaged in classroom instruction, and sometimes kids can slide back almost two months worth of skills they gained in the classroom if they don’t review skills over the summer.  Here are some great tips that you can do at home to keep kids encouraged to learn and help prevent the summer slide!

Set a Schedule – Set up a simple schedule that works for your family this summer.  A schedule allows for everyone in the house to be on the same page when it comes to summertime expectations. This article shares great ideas for summer schedules to keep kids busy while school is out. 

Play a Game – Yes that’s right, it’s as easy as pulling out their favorite board game, and before the kids take their turn, have them answer a simple math fact,  read a sight word, or even a sentence.  This will help to keep their skills sharp while having fun at the same time!

Get Cookin' – Kids love being in the kitchen, and they can learn so much while doing it!  Find a simple recipe for younger children that they can read on their own, gather a few ingredients and let them create a tasty treat.  It’ll encourage them to follow easy steps, practice measuring, and even counting. For older children, a more detailed recipe will provide them with multiple steps to follow and they can build their reading comprehension skills. Getting kids to cook can encourage them to build reading and math skills with a yummy snack at the end.

Get Caught Reading – It’s easy for us parents to zone out on our phones these days.  Set a good example for your kids with how fun reading can be. Set aside time each day and curl up on the couch with a great book.  It’ll give your eyes a break from screen time and your kids will see how much fun you are having, they will want to follow your lead. 

Encourage Daily Reading Time – One sure way to keep kids’ reading levels consistent with where they left off at the end of the year is to encourage daily reading time. Reading a book for 20 minutes can help to keep reading levels up. If your family sets a house rule to ‘Read Everyday’, Goodtimer can help to encourage kids to keep at it with a constant glowing light and tangible incentives to get the reading completed.

If your family wants to encourage your kids to keep their skills sharp this summer, set a summer schedule, play games, cook, and add some daily reading time to help to set your family up for success to skip the summer slide!