How to Beat the Summer Slide
Have you heard of the “summer slide”? Unfortunately, it’s not the fun kind of slide you’ll find at a water park or playground. This slide is different. It’s a slide that no mom wants her child to ride.
What Is the Summer Slide?
The summer slide is a decline in reading ability and other academic skills that can occur over the summer months when school isn’t in session.
Numerous studies show that kids who don’t read during summer vacation actually slip in reading ability by the time autumn rolls around.
But as parents, we don’t need studies to tell us this, do we? It’s evident in all sorts of situations. For example, if your child plays the violin but stops practicing for three months, his skills will decline more than the skills of a child who continued to practice and play the violin over the summer, right? So what can we do to avoid this common problem?
How to Prevent the Summer Slide
Here’s the secret to preventing the summer slide: Keep learning all summer long. (Now, don’t panic, I’m not talking about year-round schooling, although for some homeschool families, year-round schooling may be a good solution.)
I’m talking about consciously striving to provide learning opportunities throughout the summer to keep kids’ academic skills sharp. Check out the infographic below for a big list of ideas to help you put an end to the summer slide!
Beat the Summer Slide with These Helpful Resources!
Want to keep your child’s reading and spelling skills sharp over the summer? Check out the blog posts, free downloads, and review materials below and say goodbye to the summer slide forever.
Reading Resources
- Get kids interested in reading—thanks to magazines!
- Take our Library Lists to the library. (Picture Books | Chapter Books)
- Read some great books! (Picture Books | Chapter Books)
- Let us help as you motivate your kids to read.
- Check out 6 great reasons to read aloud to your kids.
- Create a bit of extra motivation with a cozy reading nook.
Skills Review for Reading and Spelling
- Build language skills with fun games like Boggle, Headbanz, Apples to Apples Junior, and more!
- Enjoy a big bundle of summer-themed stories and activities from All About Reading Levels 1-4.
- Explore more reading review activities from All About Reading Levels 1-4 with our Reading Activity Bundle.
- “Eat” some Banana Splits: a game with compound words.
- Have fun with Word Flippers while practicing reading and spelling skills.
- Try some of these great ways to review reading word cards and spelling word cards.
- Practice reading and spelling words with our Drag Race Review Game.
- Check out this treasure trove of pirate-themed reading and spelling activities. Arrrr!
- Try these 19 Activities for Kinesthetic Learning for learning that sticks!
Vocabulary-Building Resources
- Match up the Baby Animal Names with this matching activity.
- Reinforce spelling and vocabulary skills using Word Trees.
- Build your child’s vocabulary with these awesome ideas.
- Play with portmanteaus and build your child’s vocabulary all at the same time!
Additional Resources
- Review the alphabet and make some great snacks with our ABC Snacks Cookbooks.
- Check out Learning Ally‘s library of audio books for children with special needs.
- Practice letter recognition with this series of hands-on activities.
- Explore the alphabet with this series of easy-to-assemble letter crafts. (Uppercase Letters | Lowercase Letters)
What do you plan to do with your children to beat the summer slide? Share in the comments below!
Heather
says:I love these ideas for next summer!
Abby
says:My kids finished their summer reading program hours on our first summer road trip. We love audiobooks for taking trips or for running errands around town.
Carey Cole
says:I teach and tutor math and the summer slide information seldom emphasizes keeping math skills fresh over the summer! Much harder to maintain good math literacy!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI agree with you, Carey, but since we are a company focused on taking the struggle out of reading and spelling you can understand why our focus is toward those skills.
However, I have found cooking to be a great way to work on math skills in a way that doesn’t seem like school. Doubling and tripling recipes is very helpful for adding and multiplying fractions, but even better for older students is halving or making a third of a recipe. It gets tricky when you do things like halve one tablespoon.
Another way to practice math skills over the summer is with a summer job, a lemonade stand, or other opportunities to handle money. Children are naturally motivated to add and subtract and practice their decimal skills when earning and then spending their own money. They may even learn how to calculate sales tax!
Ashley
says:Great tips, thank you! We have enjoyed your library reading lists! I was able to find several titles at our local library to expand our read aloud options over the summer.
S. Hughes
says:This is something I want to share with parents next summer!
Brenda Trombley
says:Never would have thought of cooking as reading help.
Amy
says:I love the idea of audiobooks. We’ll have to try that on or next camping trip.
Monique L.S.
says:We try to keep up on our reading, and even did a little book reading challenge.
Anna Pry
says:I wouldn’t have thought of using cooking together as a learning activity really but it is
Alana Bryant
says:Thank you for these tips! Can’t wait to use them!
Tonya
says:Would love to have the spelling!
Rebecca Spaulding
says:Thanks so much for all the tips advice!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are welcome, Rebecca! Let me know if you have any questions.
Trisha
says:Great ideas to minimize the slide. I love all the links to resources.
Tiffany Castaneda
says:Thanks for this reminder! Definitely seeing the slide this summer. Now I feel prepared to help!
Kristy
says:Great tips, thanks!
Terri
says:This is a great list! My youngest reader has been reading like crazy, but I will definitely add some of the other things suggested here.
Amber
says:Great ideas! We need a school break, but I also don’t want to spend weeks reviewing and getting back on track.
Chara
says:Thanks so much for all these ideas! Already started using some ;)
Malinda
says:We are using AAR level 1 this summer! Looking forward to it!
Leanne Semprimoznik
says:Thank you for the list of resources, that is so practical and helpful! No slides wanted here!
Kara
says:We started this program in May, so we are continuing through the summer. It’s too hot to be out, so 40 minutes a day won’t hurt at all. No summer slide will be nice, too.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKara,
Yes, schooling right through the summer is one way to overcome the summer slide. And in areas that have very hot summers, it can even be something to look forward to to overcome the boredom of being indoors all day!
Rebecca
says:Thanks for these ideas and resources!
Heidi
says:Great game ideas, thanks!
Seka
says:Great tips! Thanks!
Mettie
says:I definitely need to add more games and fun review to our summer.
Ruth Silva
says:This is a great resource for me, as a teacher, and for parents as well.
Ruth Silva
says:This is a great resource for me as a teacher and for me to send to a parent.
Amy
says:Our library has a summer reading program where they fill in bingo cards to win a free book.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAmy,
What a great motivator to get kids reading more and more! Have them read books to earn books. I love it!
Alison O
says:We’re doing a few of these already! I’ll try to incorporate a few more. Thanks!
Kim Springveldt
says:Just love the idea of audio books in the car…for those long roadtrips
Angela
says:We still do school work, but not as much. We also take a lot of summer field trips.
Kath
says:Love these resources – they will be fun for my struggling learner! Thank you.
Joanna
says:Great ideas to keep the mind learning!
Sheena Mellott
says:Thank you for bringing awareness to the summer slide.
Katie
says:we will be doing AARL1 this summer, and purchasing an audio book app that helps dyslexic children visually while being read to.
Suman sikri
says:I like it, I download few resources from this site and going to use those activities during summer time.
Amanda T
says:We have also decided not to take a full summer holiday this year and in the weeks that we do take off, we’ll continue cooking and reading together.
Stephanie
says:Such great resources! Thank you.
Alicia Brooks
says:These are some brilliant ideas, thank you!
Lisa Farwick
says:I love that many of these activities will get us using our math skills as well as reading, spelling and handwriting. We plan to bake together, listen to audio books especially on the long car rides and continue to practice clapping out words.
Jenny Wrench
says:Here in South Africa we don’t have such long holidays, but our December holiday can be 10 weeks long – I remember one year as a child I totally forgot how to write!!
Cassandra
says:We are going to try feeding this summer slide by not taking the whole summer off. During the weeks we take off we will have games and questions of the day. Thank you for this article it gave me lots of great ideas
Michellew
says:You give so many great ideas! I taught my own kids with All About Spelling, and now I consult your resources for the preschoolers I teach! You are truly generous with your talents and knowledge!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAwww, thank you, Michellew! 😊
Lex
says:Printing this out! Great suggestions.
Stacy
says:So many great ideas!
Stevie
says:We are a homeschool family and we consider reading to be a year round curriculum. I am definitely going to add the Ember series to our read aloud as well as incorporate other tips from here.
Janie Riehm
says:We plan on many trips to our local library and to play many games together!
Fran
says:All About Learning Press is awesome! As a teacher I have purchased many
items for a Special Education class. Winning the Reading Activity Bundle
would be great!
Robyn M
says:This is our first summer after starting homeschool and these are some great reminders and tips on how to keep my kiddos engaged and still learning while playing and enjoying a little summer break
Robyn
says:Thanks for this, I was looking for fun ways to keep the learning going all summer
Lisa Dorsett
says:Thank you for this post! It is so important now a days with children and learning so that they do not get “summer slide”. These are some great ideas. I will use them for the summer to continue for review and prepare for the next grade!
Judith Martinez
says:My parents didn’t enroll us in enrichment programs or summer school or anything else when we were kids. We were pretty much left to our own devices but we weren’t allowed to watch much TV and we were encouraged to utilize the public library. I imagine the huge stacks of books I read every summer prevented a lot of summer slide.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSounds like my childhood summers, Judith. 😊
Anna Pry
says:i appreciate the summer reading programs that libraries do, they’re really a helpful tool and motivator
Stephanie
says:The summer reading program at our local library certainly helps us fight the summer slump. Schooling through July doesn’t hurt either. Haha
Mary Schuh
says:These are all great tips! We love our library reading program because the kids get lots of surprises and incentives.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYes! A good library summer reading program is very helpful for encouraging reading. My library system has even extended the prizes for adults too, so the whole family can participate.
Reannon
says:Love regularly taking the kids to the library in the summer! Audio books are a great idea!
Jill
says:We definitely need to stay on top of this. I notice some issues even after short school breaks.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI notice this too, Jill. It’s one of the reasons we are more likely to take lots of three and four day weekends rather than weeks and weeks off if we can help it. However, sometimes things like family, travel, camp, and so on require longer breaks. We just plan on spending the first few weeks (or more, if necessary) reviewing when we start back up.
Kara
says:I love all of these ideas! The games you offer to us at AAR are such wonderful tools! Thank you ; ). Can’t wait to check out your book suggestions and audio book ideas!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are so welcome, Kara! It’s great to hear that you find the games and activities we share so helpful too.
Rachel Haynes
says:Thank you for this helpful content!
Julieta Perez Rubio
says:This information and recommendations are great! Thank you 😊
Perla Perez
says:Thank you for the information.
Rachel
says:Love this!
Kathy Taylor
says:Love all the activities you provide to help my kids not lose ground over the summer!
Jill
says:Thanks for the many great ideas and resources!
Kandi Spencer
says:Thanks for the tips that reading in the summer is very important.
Heather
says:Great ideas!
Ruth Hudon
says:We plan our reading time for mornings and do this all year long. No summer slide at my house!
Melany
says:Great tips!
Ashley
says:Thank you for all of the great ideas!
Tanya
says:Love the ideas!!!
Tracy
says:Will absolutely get some audio books for the car!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat idea, Tracy! As a family, we spend a lot of time discussing our audiobook options before any car trip we take. We also enjoy audiobooks around the house too, however. It’s nice to have a book going while working on a project, doing housework, or just relaxing.
Jenna
says:Great tips! I especially like the different game ideas!
Jess
says:I love all these ideas!
Carolina
says:I really love your program. Thank you for the free resources too.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are so welcome, Carolina! I’m pleased to hear you are enjoying the program. 😊
Julia Kny
says:I am so excited to try some of these ideas this summer. I love the idea of incorporating reading games and the resources from All About Learning.
Jennifer
says:Always visit the library!
Brittni
says:the link to magazine resources is perfect! thanks!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou’re welcome, Brittni. Receiving magazines in the mail definitely does encourage reading; I’ve seen it with my own kids!
Dina Fennerty
says:Is this infographic available in Spanish? Or any other languages?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDina,
Sorry, no. We only have it available in English.
Chara
says:Wonderful tips and reminders!
Shana
says:we school year round so no summer slide :)
Kristen
says:Thank you so much for this varied list of ideas! I’m excited to try some of them with my littles. 🙂. What a great resource!
Blessings!
Vonda Cotton
says:What ideas do you have for kids 9_-high school.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat question, Vonda!
Some of the tips in this blog post will apply to any age. Reading for 20 minutes (or more) a day is great for everyone. Many libraries are now including teen options in their summer reading programs with some great teen-focused prizes too. My local library has even started an adult option for the summer reading program so the entire family gets involved! Audiobooks are great for all ages. And no one is too old to take up a new hobby!
In addition, if older students use electronics you can encourage texting or emailing with friends or family. Talking to grandma can seem boring over the phone but playing an online trivia game with her can lead to weeks of ongoing communication (true story about my daughter and my mother).
One area of slide for older students is math, especially higher level maths like algebra. I know many moms assign a review worksheet, or two, per week to keep skills fresh. The internet is full of such things. Lots of areas have math programs for teens a few hours a week, or more hours a day for just a week or two, over the summer through local community colleges. There are math game websites and apps as well.
Academic focused summer camps or programs are a great way to keep knowledge fresh and learn new things. Engineering and science camps, math and music camps, story writing and journalism camps, I’ve seen all sorts of options.
I hope this gives you some ideas.
avigail
says:I keep teaching my kids from the reading program all summer
Sue
says:Love this! Is there a Spanish version of this infographic?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSue,
Sorry, no. We only have it available in English.
Madalynn
says:Reading during summer boring! We spend more time in school than we do in summer!
Allyson
says:My experience has been that my children (ages 10 and 12) slide MUCH MORE in math than reading … probably because they love to read and do a lot of it in the summer. I struggle with keeping their math skills/knowledge up unless we are doing full-on math pages or lessons. We all need a break from the routine of school, but I hate the regression in math. Sigh…
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceI know what you mean, Allyson. I find if I am planning more than a two week break, that it is best to require about 3 math lessons each week just to keep the knowledge fresh. I would prefer a more “fun” way to review a wide range of math skills, but I haven’t found an easier way to do it than just using their regular math.
Cory
says:Every summer I have my girls read for an half hour in the morning and in the afternoon. I also have them retell what they read, Last year I took them to the library because they have reading buddies.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceCory,
Reading buddies are great! Our library has service dogs come in a few times each summer just for kids to read to, but my kids prefer to read to their own dogs or cats. 😊
Jessica
says:These are great ideas to be thinking of as we head toward summer! Despite my best intentions, it seems we always experience some amount of summer slide. I have found that taking the first 2-3 weeks of the new school year to reread all the stories from the previous level is an easy way to make sure we are back on track!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJessica,
I love your idea to start the new school off by rereading stories from the previous level! It’s a great way to review and slowly build up to where you left off. Thank you for sharing this!
Sandra Hughes
says:Awesome readable explanation of summer slide. Thanks! :-)
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are welcome, Sandra. The summer slide can make the start of the new school year so difficult for children, yet it isn’t difficult to avoid it.
Deb
says:Where can I get the posters?
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDeb,
Are you referring to our Spelling Rules Posters? Here is the link for them. Or where you referring to some other posters? Please let me know.
Karina
says:Thank you for writing this post. I feel a little more at ease that I have my kids doing most of these. (No road trips yet so no audio books.) I homeschool year-round and take breaks throughout also. I change the activities periodically to avoid boredom. Learning is fun and I want them to eat it up.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKarina,
We hardly ever take road trips (although we always do a family audiobook when we do!), but we have just started doing audiobooks at home. The kids like to listen for 20 or 30 minutes a day while they do their chores and I’m cooking dinner.
Jane Gilhooly
says:I have 5 little ones at home. Two are All About Reading “graduates.” Over the summer I let my children earn a book light- basically an LED lamp with a 60 minute timer on the base that goes on their nightstand when they officially graduate into beginning chapter books. Summer is a great time for them to earn this after completing level 2 of All About Reading. They are usually motivated to continue to read to me each day because they really want that book light! The best part is after they earn their light, they fall asleep reading every night by it, and with a 60 minute timer, I don’t have to worry about them sleeping with a light on.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJane,
I love this idea! I have been thinking about getting book lights for my kids to read in bed, but I especially love the idea of getting one with a timer. And it’s even better when they earn it through reading! Thank you for sharing this.
Chelsey Stafki
says:We have chosen to “do school” through the Summer. We take breaks during the year whenever we need to do so, and besides that, it’s too hot outside to do much of anything anyway. We have scaled back to do a modified schedule, but it always includes my son’s All About Spelling. :)
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceChelsey,
We are summer homeschoolers too. Although, for us it is so hot, and there are so few activities available to do, that we don’t scale back. Rather, we do more projects, more experiments, and more electives in the summer, as we’re pretty much stuck inside anyway. We do take a long 4 to 6 week break in December, however, when the weather is fine!
Julie
says:Love this. Thanks for the tips.
Kristin
says:We are trying to do some school to prevent the slide, but so hard when we just want to play and embrace the day.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKristin,
Try not to think “school”, but rather try to think of a time of day when you can add in some book time without it feeling school like. Some people allow their kids to stay up an extra half hour if they are quietly in bed reading or looking at books. When my kids were younger (but not very young, my oldest was 10 or so), we had afternoon quiet time each day when everyone had to rest with a book.
For math, cooking is helpful for practicing that, without seeming school like. Bake together, and have your child help work out how much to put in if you half the recipe or double the recipe. Many games require keeping score and can work on math as well.
In short, try to find activities that make use of the academics your kids have learned but still seem like play. The result is wonderful summer memories, but little to no summer slide!
Brandy Palmer
says:This summer we are doing themed days throughout the months to combat summer slide. We have Math Monday, Travel Tuesday, Write It Up Wednesday, Think Thursday, and Free Friday. Of course, we still read each and every day. This way the kids review what they learned, but they don’t feel like they are missing their summer.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceOoo, clever, Brandy! We something a bit like this, but you are much better with the alliterations than I am. “Free Friday” sound more poetic than “Swim Friday”.
Jessica Tomlin
says:We too a year round learners!
Jessica
says:We actually have a better time with “school” during the summer. We end up reading out loud a whole lot more because I end up feeling like there is more space in the day to do things. The kids engage their imaginations and play much better as well after all the reading aloud. They make up songs and play the characters in the stories.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJessica,
I find a similar thing in our homeschool in the summer, only for us it’s because the weather is so hot (118°F yesterday!) that we are stuck inside. Plus, because of the heat, there are few activities and things to attend away from home. So we do more reading, more projects, more art, and watch way more documentaries and educational movies and TV throughout the summer.
Nicole D.
says:We school year round
Melanie Freeland
says:We homeschool year-round to prevent this. Although the summer stuff is much lighter than what we do during the actual school year.
Marcy Goetz-Than
says:We beat Summer Slide by signing up for our Library’s summer reading program and continue reading daily for 15-30 minutes. We visit the early Literacy Fair, play games and will be cooking.
Allison
says:We homeschool year round with shorter breaks throughout the year to prevent the summer slide. My daughter is dyslexic and has other learning differences so the summer slide would be horrendous for her. Love your ideas to help prevent it from happening.
Patsy Foy
says:We homeschool year around. That said, we take more smaller breaks. But during these breaks, my daughter is still learning. We just baked 3 cakes & concocted a brand new healthy dip for snacking, to which she read & figured up ingredients & times. She also has been reading & learning about properly using hand signals for when she’s riding her new adaptive bike. Learning can be all day every day if attempted without burning you or the child out. Find what interests them and dig into it.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat ideas, Patsy. Sounds like some fun learning!
Hope
says:We intend to school year round.
anna
says:good ideas. thanks
Laura G.
says:This program has been amazing for my struggling reader who I can say is not struggling much anymore!
Adrienne
says:I’m looking forward to trying some of these resources with my struggling reader this summer!
Gail Timmer
says:I love the poster. You have so many great ideas in this post. As a library worker, I had the chance to talk to our primary students about the summer slide and what they and their parents can do to not let this happen. Thank you
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGail,
What a great community outreach, getting not only parents but their kids themselves thinking about the summer slide. I imagine that getting the kids involved would make fighting the summer slide more successful!
Cindy N
says:Thank you for the tips. This is something we struggle with over the summer. Although we do get some reading in, all suggestions are welcome to keep us going :)
Sue Tan
says:We read aloud, rain or shine, to beat the summer slide!
Elissa
says:These are some great tips…we have done for a month and already noticed a slide.
Tara Johnson
says:This is a great resource for summer ideas. Thank You
Rebecca
says:Love these ideas!
Stephanie
says:Lots of good ideas here! We’re trying to encourage reading this summer, since I have one child who was just starting to “get it” at the end of the school year. My older needs no encouragement! Lots of read aloud or books on tape, too. My kids love the summer reading program at our library.
jennifer royall
says:Excited but nervous about homeschooling
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceDon’t be nervous, Jennifer! Homeschooling very quickly becomes just part of your family life. If you ever need anything, we’re here to help.
Eric
says:Year round homeschooling helps us beat summer slide!
Bette
says:Thank you for the encouraging and fresh ideas to try!
Heidi Garfield
says:Great ideas! I will put them to good use!
Ellen P
says:Love this article and the reminder to make reading a big part of our summer!
Janet
says:Thank you for the fun ideas.
Sherri
says:Great tips! Thanks!
Nancy
says:I just started using All About Spelling for my 9 year old son. He has struggled with reading and spelling so much, but since starting All about Spelling, he has made huge progress! I am excited to continue with the program!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceNancy,
This is GREAT! Thank you for sharing his progress with us!
Kirsten
says:Thanks for the ideas! We just finished our first year of AAR and was wondering how to keep the knowledge there that my son has acquired! Will use some of these!
C Mac
says:Thanks for the info! Awesome ideas.
Misty Trunnell
says:So fortunate that my child loves working year round.
Carrie King
says:We do math review about once a week with flashcards or math bingo.
Kim Stanley
says:Summer Reading programs at local libraries are a good way to keep kids reading through the summer.
Tauri
says:Thanks! We are loving All About Spelling!
Lisa V.
says:I hope to beat the summer slide by helping my daughter to find books that she will be interested in, and read, read, read.
Tiffany Keeton
says::):):)
Tina S.
says:What wonderful ideas!
Sabrina
says::)
Mary Stevenson
says:Love all your ideas! I’m going to sign up my son and I for the summer reading program at our library. We love your curriculum!
Mary Stevenson
says:We are going to read together from our Run Bug Run book 20 minutes each day!
Rachelle
says:I like the idea of a year round schedule but these are great ideas for the break times!
Gina R.
says:Thanks for the tips!
Erin
says:These are some great ideas. I also think finding some summer reading programs with rewards really helps with motivation.
Lindsey
says:We school year round.
Julie
says:Ive tried several programs and have seen my sub make such nice progress with AAS and AAR.
Erin
says:We’re doing AAS daily as well as learning new vocabulary words from a fun book call “Vocabulary Cartoons”. I highly recommend it!
Erin
says:We’ve just begun using AAS Level 1 when school let out. Right now it’s a bit easy for my 8 & 9 year olds, but they think it’s really fun and don’t even complain about working in the summer. I wanted to start at the beginning and move them through the whole program in order.
We also have a “Power Word” of the day from a very cool book called “Vocabulary Cartoons”. Each vocab word has a funny little cartoon with it to help the kids remember it and it’s working so well!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceErin,
Thanks for the recommendation. Vocabulary Cartoons sounds fun.
Pamela Walker
says:A good reminder of the importance of reading all year long and instilling the love of reading by exploring different print media.
Victoria A.
says:This is very helpful!
Alisha
says:Love these tips!
kathy
says:By the way, I meant to ask, what happened to Ziggy’s summer reading club?
My boys need no encouragement to read, and we’re in winter, but they loved having flat Ziggy help them with their schoolwork last year.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKathy,
I’ve been told that Ziggy will be back for summer reading, but I don’t know anything beyond that. So, stay tuned!
kathy
says:In Australia we only have six weeks off for summer. Even so, I know of a teacher who is strongly opposed to this. She says it’s highly detrimental to those children whose parents either can’t or won’t work with them through the break, even in little activities as suggested here. This is especially important for the kids who really need it: the strugglers. I found this out when I mentioned that I was moving to a year round schooling model. We take short breaks when it suits us and I no longer feel frustrated if the odd day gets lost to minor disasters or random events like bulldozers in the backyard (try to keep a little boy in his seat under those conditions!) Needless to say, said teacher is not so popular with her time serving colleagues.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKathy,
There are school districts in the US that do year round schooling for just the reasons your teacher friend pointed out.
Megan
says:great ideas
erin
says:We’re participating in our library’s summer reading program
Lisa
says:Love all these great tips! Especially ones that incorporate fine motor skills!!!
Kelly K
says:We love our library summer program…helps prevent summer slide and we earn vouchers for fun activities too!
Katie Oconnor
says:Great tips! Thank you :)
Michele Olivieri
says:Love AAR and AAS!
lindsey
says:great ideas
Janelle
says:good tips! thanks!
Hank
says:I hope my wife uses these ideas. These are really net ideas!
Lisa
says:We already have a huge stack of books to read out loud together during the summer. It’s a fun idea to take turns with the reading too. Thanks for the ideas!
Lisa
says:Thanks so much for these great tips! I will definitely be using some of them this summer with my 7-year-old.
Val
says:These are great ideas and seem as though most will be easy to add into our busy summer days. I also like that you have ideas listed for all ages.
Thank you!
Elizabeth B
says:We’re part of local library’s reading program, so that’s a motivation for them. Thanks for the other tips!
Ani
says:We’re almost done with AAR2! Can’t wait to start AAR3.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAni,
My youngest child will finish AAR 2 this week! It’s exciting, and I love that has finally found enjoyment in reading. She has been carrying around books, reading in every spare moment, all week!
Allison
says:Joining our library’s summer reading program gives lots of opportunities both for reading and educational programs :)
Mindy S
says:Thanks for all of your tips! They are always so helpful to me
Ribyn
says:When I hear people talking about ‘beating the summer slide’ ingrown inwardly because it seems like they want kids lab outing over workbooks and computers all summer – but these suggestions are totally doable, while still just letting kids go outside, enjoy the all-too-short summer and just be for a while :).
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThat’s what we were aiming for, Ribyn!
kathy
says:love this program
Trina
says:Love all of your tips! Thanks so much!!
Debbie
says:I totaly agree that children digress during the summer if you do not keep up on their studies. I can not wait to get started our “learning time” for the summer!
Gretchen whsrton
says:We live to read an adventure series over the summer months that the whole family can enjoy.
Jennie
says:This is very interesting. A very good reminder to keep on track and not let reading go. I will be using these ideas for sure!
katie
says:Great ideas thank you for sharing.
Laura B
says:Thanks for the great info
Laura
says:Great ideas! Participating in your local library summer reading program is also a great motivation! My kids love to do this!
Bethany Eskro
says:Thank you for the tips! This is something I’ve worried about as we just finished up our very first year of kindergarten.
Heather
says:Summer is when I encourage my children to explore new kinds of books (not required for school) in hopes that they will fall in love with reading in a deeper way. (After all, that IS my goal as their mom and teacher.) It’s worked with most of my kids at one point or another.
Michelle
says:Love these ideas! We are already using audiobooks and at least 20 minutes of quiet reading daily. I think we will definitely work on incorporating some fun review games for spelling and vocabulary throughout the summer as well. I hadn’t even thought about that yet!
Jody Catalanotte
says:My own kids will have reading time set aside everyday. During this time, Mom, Dad and the kids are only aloud to read print materials and no electronics devices allowed!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJody,
Great idea! Thanks for sharing it.
jenny g
says:Audio books … hmm. I have not tried that. Thanks for the idea. It seems like a nice alternative to always reading aloud and exposes the children to someone else’s voice in reading tones.
Jessica
says:This is great! Thanks!
Jennifer O
says:Great resource to use now and throughout the year. Thank you!
Amy Dumas
says:Great ideas in preventing the slide! Thx!!
susan and james blair
says:These are super ideas!
Tabitha
says:Wonderful resources! Thank you so much!
Barbie
says:Over the summer, we continue our weekly visits to the library, join in the summer reading programs at the library, listen to audio books in the car, listen to audio books + read along with the (paper or electronic) text at home, Mum & Dad read to the children, the children read to each other and to us, & we read alone.
Thanks to all at All About Learning Press for always encouraging us to keep pressing on!
Jennifer P.
says:Thank you for these great tips!
karen patterson
says:I enjoyed learning new and creative ways to keep my children interested in reading over the summer.
Julie Patterson
says:These are great ideas. My kids also love to participate in summer reading programs. You can find these at your local library and some bookstores too.
Lacey
says:Thanks for the great ideas for summer. I definitely will put some of them to use!
Amy Wilcox
says:I definitely hate the “summer slide!” Thanks for the tips!!
Kari
says:Great tips. I’m definitely planning to keep us “on track” this summer. :)
Karen
says:My son just finished kinder, so this is the first time I’ve had to make a plan for this. We are doing lots of reading out loud (me to him) and he gets an ice cream cone for every 60 minutes he reads aloud to me or Dad. And once a week we’re doing a quick spelling/reading Word Card review. Hopefully it’s enough to keep from going down the slide!
Heidi Mace
says:Great ideas without a lot of preparation for parents !
Jody R.
says:Great tips!
Janet
says:Thanks! Love these ideas as we head into summer.
KrissyAnn
says:Thank you for all the tips and ideas to keep our kids learning g over the summer!
Sara Hutchinson
says:Thanks for the specific tips in this post! We love AAR!
Katie
says:Thanks for the giveaway opportunity. I’m anxious to try the new version of aar this summer!
Tamia R. Pettus
says:My son is autistic. I found that he doesn’t qualify for ESY. So this summer and school year, I am going to go over everything can so that he doesn’t fall behind.
Wendy
says:Great resources and ideas. Thank you!
Nicole Murphy
says:We homeschool throughout the summer, but with less structure. Reading is something we have to continue daily, repetition is key for us. But one fun website I’ve found is Storylineonline.com, my son and I really enjoy listening to the stories but the twist is you watch the actors reading the story to you. It reminds me of reading rainbow. My son has his favorites that he enjoys hearing over and over, and I’m always surprised when he finds a new one he likes that I would not expect him to choose.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceThanks for the recommendation of Storylineonline.com, Nicole. My older kids loved Reading Rainbow, and I think my younger kids will enjoy this.
Marjorie Anderson
says:Our family loves audio books ! Best way to keep the car quiet and reduce fighting. Thank you for all the tips !
Robin
says:My children love participating in our library’s summer reading program.
Tanessa
says:Our library has a great summer reading program with fun prizes that encourages my kids to keep reading
Kristine
says:Thank you for this post!
Darci
says:Library Summer Reading club is one I can add. I can’t believe it but cheap dollar store prizes motivate my little ones! Thanks for the post.
Trinthia
says:Great time to have meaningful conversations and increase vocabulary is during daily walks or car rides. Also, a great time to review skills but keep it short and fun.
Natasha Scheer
says:Love All About Reading.
Tania Witter
says:Good reminder to keep them engaged. :)
Cheryl
says:I made this mistake last year so we are working hard this summer!
Abbey
says:Thanks for the wonderful ideas!
Kelley
says:Great ideas to keep kids interesting in reading!
Kin
says:Very helpful tips!
Sally Javier
says:Marie’s summer tips are helpful!
Karen Lunde
says:We’re here, in southwest Germany. My 10-year old daughter is in the 4th grade in German public school, and must attend through the summer until her last day of school on July 27. Then, she starts fifth grade in Gymnasium (G9) on September 13. She has both passports, USA and Germany. No, she doesn’t read.
We’ve used All About Spelling before, and gotten through Levels 1, 2, and into Level 3. But this was year(s) ago, and she’s forgotten a lot.
She went to school as an exchange student in 4th grade in Minneapolis for a week in May, 2016.
She lives on her iPad, 24/7, watching videos from the USA, so she speaks great American English. But, try to get her to READ? Ha. If I’m lucky, she’ll deign to let me read to her.
We do the Sunlight Curriculum (very slowly, on top of her German public school). We’ve been on Core D (3rd grade) in that for about 1-1/2 years now, and thanks to a curriculum change in 4/2016, haven’t even finished Week #1 of this!! Long ago, we used Funnix 1 and 2 to teach her to read in English. Functionally, this was a success, but unfortunately, she has no motivation to read. Very few German kids seem to read for pleasure, and the society here seems happy enough with non-reading kids. Larger cities do have libraries, and there are a few bookstores, but any really good kids’ book has been translated from English.
My comment? That All About Spelling is really THE way to learn to spell US English! I have never seen a program like this, it is unique. It is worth all time and money that you could spend on it. We hope to get going with this again in the near future.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceKaren,
Thank you for sharing your perspectives on reading in Germany. This was fascinating.
Melanie
says:Thank you for hosting the giveaway! I homeschooled for nearly 15 years before I discovered All About Learning. Sure wish I’d found it sooner!
Hannah R.
says:These are fantastic ideas for our family! Thank you!
Celesta
says:Looking forward to continuing with AAR and starting AAS this summer. Love these ideas as well! My kids have really taken off with your program! Thank you!!!
Edith S
says:Great idea. I never thought about magazines for kids! 😀
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceEdith,
Magazines are great to encourage reading, as there is a new edition every month or two on whatever topic they enjoy. You can subscribe so that they get their own in the mail, or most libraries subscribe to many children’s magazines and you can check issues out. My daughter gets her American Girl magazine fix that way.
Holly
says:Great suggestions! Thanks!
Page Boyd
says:Thanks for the great suggestions!
Annie
says:Love this!! Thank you for the encouragement and guidance! We do school through the summer, but we keep it a more relaxed pace. I let my kiddos pick out their summer reading and they love it!
Rebecca guarino
says:Great article! It’s so important for kids to keep up their skills over the summer months!!
Derek
says:Brilliant set of educational tools, thay make both learning & teaching fun. My children really enjoy ziggy.
abedabun dawn
says:I love the audio book suggestion. I am going to see if I can some for my grand daughter.
Kim
says:.Thanks for the helpful reminders. I always find a few things helpful with all your posts.
renee
says:These are all great Ideas! Thank you!
Bre Taylor
says:Some great suggestions! Picking out our summer reading now!
Amy
says:The progress my struggling-to-read third grader made with reading this past school year boosted her confidence and mine, thanks to All About Reading. To continue blooming as a reader, we’re going to continue on with Level 4 over the summer. We enjoy spending the one-on-one time together, and we hope this gives her a jump start for the upcoming year. Consistency has been key, so this is our way to say ‘NO!” to summer slide!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAmy,
Continuing to move forward with lessons is even better than just reviewing through the summer. Not only will your daughter not experience the summer slide, she’ll be even that much further ahead of where she was when the summer began!
Katy
says:I so need these tips!! Thank you! (my mom had a set of old “word flippers” from when she taught first grade. my daughter likes to use them.)
Faith
says:I can’t wait to try all of this out!!
Ashlea
says:Some really great ideas!
Rebecca
says:These are great idea. I’m planning on using more audiobooks with my kids this summer!
Nicole Murphy
says:I love reading all of your suggestions and articles to help keep us on track. Thank you!
Colleen
says:Great simple ideas that will be easy to impliment!
Carri
says:Excellent information!
Mary Sullivan
says:These are all great tips! It’s amazing how much not having the “pressure” of doing school work daily can free one up to actually get some big things done – we always do a lot of reading in the summer.
Kate
says:The timing of this post is perfect, we’ve had about a week of summer break and are refreshed enough to start these activities. Thanks for ideas that will make review feel different than lessons during the school year.
Candice
says:Great suggestions! Thank you!
Sharice
says:I love these suggestions.
Nicole
says:I will definitely try some of these suggestions this summer!
Amy
says:I love this curriculum! The longer I use it the more I love it! So thankful for all the support and guidance they have helped me with along the way on other homeschool questions too.
Stephanie
says:I LOVE EVERYTHING about All About Reading and my daughter does too!! Thanks for all the great summer tips. I love the informative emails as well. Thanks for being so thoughtful and going the extra mile in not only providing this great program but keeping in touch and offering great tips and info. THE BEST!!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAwww, you’re welcome, Stephanie. We are happy to help you help your children!
Sandra K.
says:I’m so proud of my 10yo daughter who loves to read. Thankfully, she takes the initiative to read on her own every day. American Girl series books are a hit. But this list you’ve provided for us is fabulous and still needed. Thank you SO much for all you do. We love All About Spelling!
Jill
says:Love the graphic with ideas on how to keep learning going in a fun way over the summer!
Jill
says:We live at the library in the summer!
Jennifer
says:Have already started playing games using several of the freebies found on AllAboutReading website. Flipping fried eggs is the favorite so far!!
Aleycia
says:I’m so excited, we just started AAR this summer for my 8 and 5 year old!
James Reeves
says:My kids thoroughly enjoy the All About Reading and Spelling series. I enjoy having my English corrected also.
Amy
says:Love Exodus Book Store reading program! Great literature and only 5 books earns a $5 gift card to their store. We also do continue doing minimal schooling thru the summer.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAmy,
I, too, have found that bookstore reading programs give generous prizes. Thanks for the reminder!
Marisa
says:We are huge fans of our library’s reading program. It motivates them and keeps them interested in learning about different things all summer.
Caryn
says:Great ideas! We need to get into the 20 minute a day habit.
Dawn
says:As homeschoolers we save some of our most fun subjects for summertime! We also listen to lots of great literature while driving and then spend time discussing. Audio books are great for vocabulary!
Robyn
says:Thanks for the tips!
Jen
says:This is exactly why we school year round. Its much easier for my dyslexic daughter to keep up her momentum.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJen,
Yes. Our struggling learner kids are much more affected by summer slides, and it is all the more discouraging when it happens. Short breaks tend to be fine, but the long 2 to 3 months of summer is simply too long for many learners.
ShQuita Boone
says:We have lots of library visits planned as well as some funschooling (letting my children pick topics they are interested in and doing a fun hands on activity!) Year round schooling is a must for my family, they learn and stay sharp and I don’t have to get re-motivated to teach!
Angie
says:We always participate in the summer reading program at the library- keeps them motivated to read for most of the summer!
Candace
says:Such a relief to hear that my trips to the library will pay off in August! My 1st grader had no problem reading 2nd grade books (despite his year in public school). I know it’s in part due to a great homeschool foundation of AAR in kindergarten.
Melissa Ford
says:Thank you for this post!
Brenda
says:The grocery store is a great place for “accidental” practice.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceBrenda,
I love the idea of “accidental” practice. :D
Tasha
says:The thing I love most about this program is all the helpful tips!
Miller
says:Good ideas. My 1st grader is really getting into reading and so far doesn’t need to much encouragement. We’re going to try doing school all year with numerous small breaks throughout. I hope this eliminates that summer slide.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceMiller,
We, too, school right through the summer. Of course, down here in the desert where we live, it’s too hot to even swim, so doing school all summer just makes sense.
Jen B
says:Love this! We enjoy joining our local library’s summer reading program. My kids willingly read to earn prizes! 😊
Chelli
says:Encouraged to see that we currently do most of these. On the right track!
Happy Summer
Jessica B.
says:We read all summer long. We’re reading out loud and completing a summer reading program. Also, we do a short amount of skills work every day.
Catharine
says:I plan on keeping them active with reading though the summer
Sara
says:Thank you for these great ideas! Our library has a “Read to Dogs” night. We’re usually too busy during the school year, but plan to go on a regular basis this summer. The kids love reading out loud to their friendly, patient, good-listening canine friends!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceSara,
My kids love to read to our pets too. It’s such a lovely, sweet thing.
Lauren S.
says:We love AAR/AAS! So thankful for all the support AALP gives parents through articles, posts, and awesome customer service ( phone and email). Being a homeschool mom is the hardest thing I have ever loved doing. It’s nice to have support and encouragement along the journey!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceLauren,
I love this, “Being a homeschool mom is the hardest thing I have ever loved doing.” Wonderfully put!
Amber L.
says:We constantly have audio books in the car. I recommend them for any age! Currently, my kids (ages 2 and 6) LOVE Paddington and Geronimo Stilton. That bear and mouse have sabotaged our travels!! However, my kids’ giggles and funny comments about the characters make up for it! In addition, we do an author study that promotes daily reading and usually 1-3 crafts per week. This summer, I’m hoping to tackle Beatrix Potter’s tales with my boys. Last year, we conquered Winnie the Pooh! There is always something fun to do with children’s classic literature!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAmber,
I like the sounds of your author studies!
Amy
says:These are great ideas! I like to encourage my kids to read the names on food boxes, and encourage them to read recipes when we cook. I also encourage them to read magazines. Wildlife ones are a big hit, the pictures interest them enough to get some reading in.
Helen Grumbles
says:This is a great list. It’s encouraging because they are really easy to do. The audio book suggestion is really doable thanks to so many resources online these days, like Librivox.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceHelen,
Also look toward your public library for downloadable audiobooks. Many US libraries are now offering wide selections of ebooks and digital audiobooks. Librivox is good, but sometimes the voice quality makes the books hard to enjoy. The library system will have the same quality as audiobooks that cost $20+ to buy.
Kate
says:What a resource, thank you!
Jamie
says:Lots of great ideas and freebies. I am thinking about putting some word flippers in a basket along with other activities and having them ready for quick review time! Thank you for all the great support as I teach my children.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceYou are welcome, Jamie! I love the idea of the word flippers in the activity basket.
Michelle
says:These are great ideas. We also attend many of the summer reading programs around town. Nature study is another summer fun time here.
Stephanie Blackstone
says:Thanks for the reminder! I think we will do some poetry :)
Teresa
says:We love reading aloud in the evening, on the front porch. My kids also ask me to read to them while they are swinging or playing on the play structure! Loads of fun.
Tara Bailey
says:great suggestions!
JoAnna
says:Encouraging reading thru a bookstore reading program and trying to remember to have fun spelling bees in the car while we travel.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceJoAnna,
Great reminder to look at bookstores for summer reading programs. I have found them to be generous with their prizes. Thank you.
Robyn
says:These are great suggestions to try with my beginning readers! They are loving the Pre-1 level and are gearing up for Level 1 in the fall. These summer suggestions should keep them on target. Thanks for this post!
Rose Orosco
says:I would love to give this program a try
Samantha
says:Thank you for the tips. We are going to continue doing reading over the summer with a few other things thrown in the mix. With my little guy just heading into first grade, I want to try to prevent that summer slide the best I can
Delores Leis
says:Thanks for your practical advice. We try to do refresher blirps thru out the summer like flash cards and reading outloud.
Victoria
says:Thanks for the helpful reminders!
Karla Flores
says:My child has just turned 3 and she already loves reading. These are great tips, thanks!
Amie
says:Thanks for the great tips!
Alyssa
says:Our whole family joined the summer reading program at our local library. They have weekly themes to choose books from that give you extra enters into the contests. Each child sets their own daily reading goal and reads tho achieve that goal. It makes reading more fun!
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceAlyssa,
Our library allowed adults to participate in the summer reading program for the first time last year, and I think that is GREAT! What a great way to encourage kids to read more by having their parents reading more too.
LACY
says:We are planning to keep up with math, reading, copywork, Bible study as it relates to world history, art, and music.
Wendy Forster
says:Love the ideas to keep them from sliding over the summer! Read, read, read!!!
Jennie
says:Those are great ideas!
Lacey
says:All great tips!
Katrina R.
says:We used to constantly read tons of books, but unfortunately since having another baby our reading time has greatly decreased. This summer we are signed up for a summer readin program at our library. My kids loved last year and I’m looking forward to the added motivation to read every day too.
Shannon
says:We love to read, so we are making use of the various summer reading programs at local libraries and bookstores.
Marcia allen
says:I absolutely love all about reading and all about spelling, they are excellent programs!!!!!
Lauryn R
says:These are fantastic ideas for Summertime fun! It is definitely important to keep your kids entertained and still learning over the Summer break! :)
Nicole
says:We play a lot of games that reinforce math skills. My kiddos are also preparing a weekly newsletter for our family. :)
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceNicole,
I really like the weekly newsletter idea! Thanks.
Miha P.
says:I heard many great things about All about reading/spelling curriculum. I’d love to try the spelling program for my kids as I’m an ESL homeschooling mom.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceMiha,
We have had great reports from ESL parents using our products with their kids! Let us know if you have any questions.
Launa Rasmussen
says:We’re doing the summer reading program at the library. For every hour and a half of reading they get a free book or school supply! And I don’t have to do any nagging.
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceWe LOVE summer reading programs! Great reminder, Launa.
Alicia
says:I’m planning to find math and reading games. We are also going to do at least one lap book to keep up on the writing
Rachael Kuhaneck
says:This is a wonderful idea!
Rebecca
says:I’m having my children play reading and math games. I’m also spending daily time reading aloud to them and having them write and draw about what we’re reading in their journals :-)
Robin E.
says: Customer ServiceGreat ideas, Rebecca!