Beat the Summer Slide Without Breaking a Sweat

Cansu Oranç

July 3, 2025

Summer is all about freedom, fun, and family time. But here’s something many parents don’t realize: over the summer, a lot of kids quietly lose some of what they learned during the school year. It’s called the summer slide, and it can start as early as kindergarten. Math usually takes the biggest hit, but reading skills can slide too.

The good news? You don’t need to turn your home into a mini school to prevent it.

Tiny, everyday moments are enough: in the car, at the store, during snack time, or while waiting in line. With just a little awareness, you can keep your child learning without it feeling like schoolwork.

This isn’t just about grades. It’s about keeping curiosity alive and helping your child feel confident and capable, all summer long.

Keep Math Alive This Summer (Without Worksheets)

Spot shapes

See how many shapes you can find: rectangles on cereal boxes, triangles on rooftops, circles on beach towels. Turn it into a mini scavenger hunt.

Hunt for numbers

On license plates. On signs. On price tags. Pick a number of the day and see who can spot it the most.

Add it up

Whether it’s counting points in a game or adding up the cost of two ice creams, let your child see you doing math. Invite them in, they’ll catch on quickly. Counting activities for 3-year-olds is built around exactly the everyday-moments principle described here – snack counting, stair jumping, sorting socks, math that happens in the flow of the day without any setup or any awareness on the child’s part that learning is happening

Measure and compare

Baking? Let them pour and measure. Holding two watermelons at the store? Ask which one’s heavier. Little comparisons build big skills.

Build Reading Skills Without Sitting Still

Read together

Read books at bedtime or in a hammock.Try dialogic reading by talking about the story as you go. Read signs while walking. Read menus out loud. Even reading cereal boxes counts.

Play with letters

Spot letters on street signs. Shape them out of sticks or play-dough. Draw them in sand with your finger. Your child will be learning without realizing it. Phonics knowledge is particularly vulnerable to the summer slide because it requires regular reinforcement to stay automatic. Phonics for kids explains the phonics sequence and gives parents simple, everyday ways to keep letter-sound connections active without formal practice sessions

Play with sounds

Make silly rhymes together. Say words that end or start with the same letter. Clap out the syllables in your child’s name (they’ll love it). Sight words are one of the most effective summer literacy investments because they are the words children encounter most in any text , keeping those recognitions automatic means reading feels easier in September rather than slower

Tell stories

Have your child draw part of a story you read, or use toys to act it out. Make up stories using seashells, stuffed animals, or anything else around. Age-based learning activities organises activities by developmental stage – useful for parents who want summer activities that are actually matched to where their child is rather than where they think they should be

Yes, Screen Time Can Help Too

If your child enjoys screen time, try swapping in a few educational apps. The best ones turn learning into play, and many are so fun your kid won’t even know they’re practicing math or reading. Looking for one to try? Download the WonJo Kids app and keep the learning going all summer long! If screens are happening anyway, the Owl Counting Game makes those minutes count , children tap and count alongside the owl, keeping one-to-one correspondence active in a format that feels like play rather than practice

Final Thought: It’s the Little Things

You don’t need a plan. Just be curious together. Point things out. Ask silly questions. Wonder out loud.

The key is weaving learning into your child’s world, not forcing it.

Have fun. Make memories. And keep that brain growing in the process.

Happy summer!

Cansu Oranç

Developmental Psychologist

Dr. Cansu Oranç holds a PhD in Developmental Psychology and has over a decade of experience studying children’s interactions with technology. She has worked as a postdoctoral researcher and assistant professor, focusing on how digital tools impact early learning, and now works in EdTech, leading the design and research of engaging, developmentally appropriate digital learning experiences for children.

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What is the summer slide and how much does it affect children?

The summer slide is the loss of academic skills and knowledge that occurs during school holidays. Research shows children can lose up to 2–3 months of learning over summer, with the effects often larger for maths than for reading.

How can I prevent the summer slide without making summer feel like school?

Keep learning playful and embedded in summer activities - count at the beach, read for fun, cook and measure, visit museums, do nature journalling. Short daily bursts (15–20 minutes) of a learning app or activity book maintain skills without stealing summer joy.

Which subjects suffer most from the summer slide?

Maths fact fluency and reading skills are most vulnerable because they depend on regular practice to maintain automaticity. Spending a few minutes daily on each — even through games - is enough to preserve most of what was learned during the school year.