While it may be tempting as a parent to give your children a break from academics during the summer, this temptation can set your children up to head right down the summer slide. This slide isn’t part of a fun day in the park, but rather refers to the loss of learning or “brain drain” children many children experience during the summer when not academically engaged. Children can lose up to 2.6 months of progress in math and up to 2 months of progress in language learning during the course of one summer, and this loss will continue to add up year after year.

Summer learning may seem like a boring but necessary chore, but its actually the perfect opportunity for parents to engage their children in fun, hands-on activities that just happen to be educational! Here’s a list of 10 fun activities that will keep your children learning and growing this summer instead of sliding backward:

Read something every day: Make reading a part of your child’s daily routine that they look forward to by giving them some special one-on-one time and reading books about topics that interest them.
Make summer snacks: Cooking is a great way to mix math, reading, and creativity into one tasty activity! Find some pinspiration on our Pinterest recipe board.
Field trips: Take trips to the zoo, the park, the aquarium, or a children’s museum!
Road trip reading: Going for a long ride? Challenge your child to read aloud while you drive, or put on an audiobook that you can listen to and discuss together!
Get into nature: Take your child camping or on a hike and use this opportunity to teach them all about nature and outdoor skills!
Art projects: Creativity is a huge part of learning. Find various arts and craft projects for you and your children to do together! If you’re looking for ideas, we have a great Pinterest board with fun art projects!
Turn errands into education: Take your little one with you on errands such as the bank or the grocery store and use these as teachable moments! Have them help you add up your receipts or coupons!
Family game night: Play non-electronic board games that encourage math and reasoning as a family.
Summer learning: Ask your child’s teacher for learning activities you can do at home this summer to prepare for the school year ahead.
Learning through play: Have fun playing creative games and engage in make-believe to stimulate their imaginations!

Just sprinkling little bits of education into your summer fun will help keep them sharp and ready for the upcoming school year!

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