Beating the Summer Slide: Why You Should Care, and Proven Strategies to Prevent Learning Loss

On average, kids can have up to a 7-month learning delay at the onset of the school year. Over several summers, this accumulates to a staggering 2-3 year delay by the time they reach middle school².

By taking steps to reduce the summer slide, we're not just preserving our children's learning, we're propelling them ahead of the average².

Proven Strategies to Prevent the summer slide

Thankfully, there are several effective strategies to prevent and combat the summer slide⁶. These strategies range from promoting reading for pleasure to leveraging technology and outdoor activities for learning throughout the summer months.

• Encourage Reading for Pleasure
  One of the most effective ways to prevent summer reading loss is to encourage children to read books on topics that interest them. For example, new and emerging readers might enjoy beginning-level reading books with supporting images from favorite cartoon characters. At the same time, older kids could be motivated by topics around a favorite sport or activity. When children choose their reading materials and read for enjoyment, they improve their reading comprehension, vocabulary, spelling, and writing style.


• Participate in Summer Reading Programs and Study Plans
  There are many online and offline structured reading programs designed to combat the summer slide. These programs gamify reading, making it an exciting activity with rewards for achieving certain reading goals. This approach motivates students to read more and helps them develop a lifelong love for reading.
  Check in with your public library for summer camps or online for apps that offer travel-friendly, flexible, and engaging ways to practice reading over the summer. Online summer school or tutoring can be a flexible and accessible way to keep kids engaged and learning during the summer. Programs like Sharpen Reading offer a reading placement assessment to determine your child’s reading level and offer easy-to-use and accessible online reading and writing curriculum at home or on the go!


• Transform Summer Experiences Into Learning Opportunities
  Anticipated summer experiences can be turned into fun learning opportunities. For instance, if you plan to visit a new city, find books set in that city and share them with your children. Or, if you're visiting a museum, encourage your children to research the exhibits beforehand.


• Encourage Writing Practice
  Encourage children in first grade and older to keep a summer journal, write letters to family or friends, or create their own stories and plays that they can read aloud. This not only helps maintain their writing skills but also boosts their creativity.


• Foster a Love for Learning
  Fostering a love for learning can be the most effective strategy against the summer slide. When children are curious and interested in learning, they are more likely to seek learning opportunities, even during the summer. You can build a supportive reading environment that encourages questions, exploration, and discovery by providing great light, ample space, and plenty of comforts, while of course, keeping the book rotations fresh and relevant while at home and traveling.


• The Need for Continued Learning During Summer
  While the summer slide can be a concern, it's important to remember that summer is also a time for children to relax, explore, and enjoy their free time. Incorporating learning into summer activities doesn't mean taking away the fun. Instead, it's about finding creative and enjoyable ways to keep the mind engaged. With the right strategies, we can ensure that our children head back to school in the fall ready to continue their learning journey at the same level or beyond².