Preventing the Summer Slide

Camp is a great way to keep kids moving in the summer!

School’s out, and most kids look forward to a lazy summer full of freedom. Unfortunately, if that summer is too lazy, then kids can lose some of the valuable knowledge they gained during the school year. Here are a few strategies that parents can implement to prevent the “summer slide.”

Enjoy the Great Outdoors. Get your kids outside. Bike riding, nature hikes, time in the sandbox...these are the normal things that kids are supposed to do in the summer. When kids get outside to exercise and explore nature, they not only benefit physically, their minds are fast at work. They see new things and make up games. An hour spent playing in a sandbox employs imagination and gets the creative juices flowing.

Read, read, read! Pick up a good book and turn off the TV. Keep your kids reading all summer. Join the summer reading program at the library to help motivate and drum up interest. Reading doesn’t have to just be books, either. Magazines, graphic novels, comic books, and newspapers all qualify as reading. Set the example for your kids by choosing some of your own reading material. Hop in the hammock and spend an afternoon reading.

Go to Camp. Whether it’s a local camp or one that’s far from home, sending kids to camp is another ideal way to keep their minds sharp. Some camps have themes, like sports camps or nature camps, others are just general fun times spent in a particular place. Whichever you choose for your kids, not only will they continue to learn, they’ll also continue to develop their social skills which will benefit them throughout life.

Get Crafty. Provide opportunities for your kids to be creative. Let them sculpt, build, and paint. Older kids can tackle projects that involve skills like sewing or basic carpentry. If you need an idea, the internet provides a bounty of websites that will inspire and direct. An added bonus for summertime projects is the warm weather. Most of the mess can be kept outside, and this makes clean-up easier.



Traveling puts kids in new situations.

Hit the Road. Take your kids on vacation. Whether it’s a “stay-cation” close to home or a long trip to a far-away place, get the kids outside of their comfort zones with travel. Traveling to new places expands their minds, and kids learn from new experiences that occur daily. Whether it’s a museum, a trip to the beach, or a hike through the mountains, traveling away from home teaches kids valuable lessons that can’t be gleaned from a book.

Keep up the Routine.  Keep kids in a routine, as much as possible. Continue to implement household chores on a daily basis. Don’t let kids sleep half the day away and stay up all night. Continue to participate in music lessons or sports practices whenever possible. The more consistent you are with expectations and routines, the easier it will be to transition them back into school routines in the fall.

Pull out the Workbooks. For parents who want to take a structured approach to preventing the summer slide, there are a myriad of workbooks on the market for purchase. Require kids to complete several pages a day to keep skills fresh in their minds. When the new school year rolls around, they won’t need to review. They’ll be ready to go.

The summer slide doesn’t have to be an inevitable part of kids’ lives. When parents keep their kids’ minds and bodies moving in the summer, easing back into the school routine is as easy as 1-2-3.