The Summer Learning Slide : How To Keep Young Minds Learning All Summer Long

Summer is finally here! It’s a season of sunshine, slower mornings, a chance to relax and reflect after a busy year, and of course make memories! But with all the fun, acquired academic skills take a place on the shelf, collecting dust until the school year picks up again. A couple months off does not seem like enough time to dampen academics that you have spent a year learning but recent research shows time and again that those leisurely summer months take a toll, and that the summer learning slide is very real.

Public School educators (and possibly homeducators as well) see the summer learning slide affects first-hand. Former Mathematics Teacher Jill Padfield writes, “Younger children in subjects like math and reading are particularly susceptible, and can be set back significantly if they have limited access to educational resources during their break.”

The long summer months affect children of all ages and in all content areas, highlighting the summer learning slide as a real thing!

No one wants to start the school year, frustrated and spend precious time reteaching already learned materials. But you don’t need to worry, with careful planning and the right tools, you can absolutely avoid this, and it doesn’t require formal lessons!

But first, what is the summer learning slide?

The “summer learning slide” refers to the learning loss many children experience during the summer break when regular academic practice stops.

According to research:

Kids can lose 20–30% of what they learned during the school year.
Math skills decline faster than reading skills.
Children from households with fewer educational resources are more affected.
Learning loss is cumulative, meaning that by age 16, students can be 1.5 years behind academically if they hadn’t stopped “learning”
And here’s a big one: teachers often spend 4–6 weeks at the beginning of a new school year reteaching material that students forgot over the summer.

Sounds pretty serious, right? But not to worry, I have come up with ideas to help your children flourish and avoid the summer learning slide, with a summer lesson planner and a free printable checklist at the end!

A List of Simple Ways to Combat the Summer Learning Slide

You don’t need to create a rigid summer school schedule to keep little minds engages—just be intentional. With a bit of planning, a little learning each day goes a long way and summer learning loss will be a thing you have only heard of!

1) Create A Routine

The best way to keep learning going is by simply reviewing already learned skills and exploring hot topics. Planning and setting a routine will ensure learning is done. As they say fail to plan, plan to fail. The other great thing about having a routine is making it much easier in the fall, especially if you homeschool, no need to retrain their bodies and brains to routine, it was there all along.

We homeschool year round, in the summers we take a relaxed approach with science study units. In the mornings children read and while I am making breakfast and after get 20 minutes on their leap pad (educational games). After breakfast we have our lessons and activity / craft. In the late afternoon is quiet time when they work on themed worksheets. Before bed, we read together often books from the study unit.

I have created a planner for you to create your own simple study units and routines: you can find it here

2) Science / Study units

One fun way to combine all subjects together is through science themed units. These can be interested based, whatever they want to learn, just combine themed worksheets, activities, read alouds and you are good to go!

Find my science activity packets

3) Experiences

Museums, Zoos & Parks – Explore with the Canada Strong Pass (June 20–Sept 2, 2025): Free admission to Parks Canada sites & national museums 25% off camping & free train rides for youth
Library – Attend workshops, story times, and borrow summer kits.
VIA Rail trips – Free youth tickets + 25% discount for 18–24-year-olds, great for day trips
Camping trips – Canada strong pass + wildlife/nature observation, journaling, measurement.
Vacation Bible Camps
Community events – Look for free outdoor concerts or science fairs to tie in music (patterns) or STEM.
Workshops — Like the free ones at home depot and lowes

4) Gardening and nature

Spending time in the garden holds so many learning opportunities!

Plant life cycle
Botanical lessons
Bug exploration
Farming
How to grow plants and take care of them
Responsibility
Counting vegetables and fruits as they pick them
Sort fruits and vegetables by color
Pincer grasp and hand strength by pulling weeds
Scissor Skills – trimming and cutting unwanted growth

5) Writing

Journal writing – Have kids record daily adventures, nature observations, or book reflections.
Chalk writing on the sidewalk
Writing in the Sand
Write letters to pen pal, cousins, grandma etc

6) Reading

If there is one thing you can do this summer and only one, make sure it is daily reading. Whether its for enjoyment, study unit, reading list from school, or a library challenge reading is sure to keep them engaged.

Daily reading – Independent, aloud, or audiobook for 20 minutes/day (up to 28% loss in reading if ignored)
- When reading a story to them, stop at words they know! They’ll enjoy their favorite story and get some practice in.
- Read candy wrappers or cereal boxes at the store.
- Reading a recipe is reading
Phonics & Blends Flashcards

7) Phonics and Language

Flashcards on the go – Keep short phonics or sight-word flashcards in the car or by the pool.
Word scavenger hunts – Find words in nature (“rock,” “pine,” “tree”) and practice spelling or defining.
Reading challenges at the library – Use free summer programs in local libraries .
Board games – sight word bingo, scrabble, alphabet island.

8) Math

Lemonade stand / bake sale – Teaches counting, money math, and simple profit.
Cooking/baking – Builds skills with fractions, measurements, and sequencing
Garden counting – Tally tomatoes, calculate growth rates, compare harvests.
Grocery addition – Estimate sums in your cart; check receipts, weighing produce
Outdoor math games – Use hopscotch, measure shadows, or play “Trashketball” (bin-waste toss with arithmetic)
Card & board games – Games like Math War, Monopoly, chutes and ladders, Math island,

9) Motorskills

Crafts & DIY kits – Following instructions builds fine motor skills.
Building challenges – Lego, wood kits, snap circuit, or engineering toys.
Outdoor obstacle courses – Create and measure mini-courses. For extra fun make them community helper themed.
Board games – Puzzles and dexterity games support coordination/logical thinking
Sensory bins (checkout my pinterest board here)

9) Cooking and Baking

Rather than shooing the children out of the kitchen, include them! The kitchen is a powerful learning experience, from measuring ingreditens, mixing batter, cleaning, to spending quality time with you.

Math
Science
Reading
Sequence and following directions
Motorskills: hand-eye coordination, finger strengthening, measuring, pouring, scooping, and mixing.

Consider Year-Round Homeschooling

The Good and The Beautiful: Bones and Stones Summer Study

Hear me out, this is not 365 days of homeschooling, but rather 170 days spread out with shorter summer breaks, more breaks in between, short lesson weeks (3 days instead of 5 days a week). This approach is gentle learning throughout the year preventing skill loss and giving you more freedom day to day. Even a “light” summer schedule (like ours) can make a huge difference. Check out how we do it on my instagram post here

Why Year-Round Homeschooling Works

Many homeschooling families choose to learn year-round with built-in breaks that suit their family’s rhythm. This approach offers:

Less review in the fall – You’re not spending the first month reteaching last year’s skills.
Flexibility – Take time off during vacations, family events, or even when you just need rest.
A slower, more relaxed pace – Learning doesn’t have to feel rushed or crammed
Consistency – Keeps kids in a steady rhythm of curiosity, growth, and skill-building (no need to relearn the rhythm)

This approach also teaches that we truly never stop learning, and rather than treating learning as a punishment or something to dread, we teach that we are constantly learning. It becomes a habit.

Year-round homeschooling doesn’t mean you lose summer—in fact you can combine all of the above ideas seamlessly into study units and learn without feeling like you’re doing school!

Final Thoughts

Combating the summer learning slide isn’t about adding pressure — it is intentional learning that fits into real life. When we nurture curiosity, encourage reading, and invite our kids into everyday experiences, we’re giving them the tools they need to grow year-round.

Let your summer be restful, playful, and just a little bit educational—and you’ll start the next season stronger than ever.

P.S. Want to keep things simple while avoiding the summer learning slide? I’ve created a free printable Summer Learning Checklist you can use to brainstorm, plan, and track daily reading, simple activities, and educational outings. Perfect for keeping little minds sharp without the stress!