How to Prevent Your Child Going Down the Summer Slide

Don't let your child's academic progress slip away during summer.

Posted on

19 June 2017

| Last updated on 12 June 2018

How to Prevent Your Child Going Down the Summer Slide

With the end of school year and the start of the summer holidays, no doubt you and your child will be looking forward to some exciting experiences, travel and quality time together.

While this is a great time to bond with your child, it’s also important to remember the progress they will have made during the academic term, and not to let this slip during their time away from school - often referred to as ‘summer slide’.

What is ‘Summer Slide’?

Summer slide is the term used when students are out of school on summer break and lose some of the academic gains they have made over the school year. This can be attributed to a number of factors, but the tendency for this to occur has been highlighted in students who have struggled in a particular area - particularly reading or mathematics.

Research has repeatedly shown that this ‘loss’ can be the equivalent of up to 3 months of academic learning in the most extreme cases.

Make learning fun!

If you’re travelling during the summer and away from home, it might seem like this could be a difficult task, but there are plenty of ways to help your child avoid the summer slide. One of the key things is to know is to make it fun! No one expects you to function as a teacher, but neither does this time mean endless parked in front of a screen or TV. This is a great opportunity to support your child, and let them take a lead on their learning too.

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Below are a few activities which can be tailored to children of different age groups, with a focus on different academic areas:

Reading

Research shows that reading books over the summer can help prevent your child regressing - Picking a series of books can really help keep your child interested and enthusiastic.
Challenge your child by asking them to read different things everyday - newspaper articles, street signs, instructions on packaging - this will expand their experience with different text, and help them when they read on their own.
Encourage them to read aloud - Reading aloud benefits all children, especially those who struggle. Reading out loud yourself will also help build their comprehension and aid their own reading as they pick up different words and enunciations from you.

Writing

Keep a journal with your child - this is something your child can do alone or with you. Ask them to write details about their day, people they meet and their experiences. Invite them to draw pictures and write about what they have drawn.
Have a ‘word of the day’ - each day find a new word to teach your child. Teach them what it means, how to spell it and ask your child to practice using it in different sentences. You can do this daily or weekly, depending on the age of your child and their ability.
Try creative writing - give your child prompts and ask them to write you a short story. For example, you could give them a character (a bear), a place (a forest) and an object (a fallen tree). You can time them writing, or let them write freely.

Mathematics

Get them involved with the cooking - this is a great way to practice maths without seeming too maths orientated! Ask them to add things together, or divide to make smaller amounts. You can get creative and make new recipes together, teaching them about units as you go.
Practice counting in the everyday - this can be something simple like adding up how many red cars they see or you can get creative - count the red cars but minus every time you see a blue car.
Play Math Bingo - create an easy bingo card with sums on it (you can match this to your child’s ability). Your child has to look for numbers during the day, whether at home or travelling, that are the answers to their bingo sums. The aim is to find all the answers.

Working with your child to maintain good habits over their summer break allows you to not only make learning a fun part of life but to also establish your family as active learners. Staying mindful and supporting of your child’s learning journey, even when out of school, will give them the best possible start in life. And don’t forget have books available and read, read, read!

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