What is Summer Learning Loss and How to Fight Back

Students work hard during the school year, so many are more than ready to have the summer off and relax. While this break is good to help them rest and recharge, it’s important not to forgo any educational activities altogether. Their minds still need to be challenged and stimulated. If they don’t keep practicing and building on what they’ve learned, they’re more likely to forget it.

Understanding Summer Learning Loss

Also known as the “summer slide,” this refers to the issue of students regressing over the summer break and losing essential knowledge and skills. Studies estimate that students can lose two months of learning or more over break. This means that when they return to school in the fall, teachers must devote more time to reviewing and reteaching concepts students should already know. This can interfere with their ability to keep pace with the current curriculum because they are still focused on last year’s learning.

Not having students practice academic skills over the summer can also make getting back into the swing of things harder in the fall. It takes longer to get back into a learning mindset and the routine of focusing on lessons, studying, and doing homework.

How Parents Can Help Prevent Summer Learning Loss

Summer is still meant to be fun. You don’t have to force your child to sit for an hour or two a day doing schoolwork. Integrate learning into things they already enjoy doing or plans you have as a family.

• Read daily. Kids should read for at least 30 minutes daily, even during the summer. Set up a tent, hammock, or blankets in the backyard so they can read outside. Keep some books in the car so they can read while waiting for a sibling to finish practice or while waiting for an appointment. Bring books to the pool so they can read while drying off, warming up, or having a snack. Let your kids pick materials that interest them, even comic books, graphic novels, or magazines.
• Play games. Have a family game night and pull out some old board games, or surprise your kids with fun new ones. Games can be a great way of practicing reading, math, problem-solving, critical thinking, logic, and more. They have to strategize how to win or decide what the best move is. You can even give them some time to play video or computer games that have some educational components.
• Explore. Visit a nature reserve, museum, science center, or library and walk around, taking everything in. Let your kids ask questions and discover things they want to know more about. Attend programs or events put on by different organizations that are geared toward educating and engaging kids.
• Sign up for Summer Camp. Regardless of your child’s interests, there is probably a summer program to fit. Tons of organizations offer summer camps for kids, whether they’re a single day, a week, or longer. You can find camps tailored to the arts, science, coding, dance, sports, nature, and more. Your child is sure to have a good time and do some learning while they’re there!
• Tutoring. Reinforce what your child learned last school and prepare them with a solid foundation for the upcoming year. If there was a subject they struggled with, summer was the perfect time to catch up at their own pace. Plus, they can continue building stronger organizational, time management, executive functioning, and study skills to feel more confident for the new school year.

You can also have your kids help with vacation planning, budgeting, cooking or baking, helping with projects around the house, and more so they can practice skills in real-world settings.

Crafting Scholars creates customized learning plans aligned with your child’s unique needs and goals. Contact us today to learn more about how summer tutoring can benefit students all year and help reduce learning loss.