Everyone needs a break. For kids, summer break means sleeping in, starting the day with screens, and meeting up with friends for some light mischief. But let that go for too long, and they might start forgetting long division, how to structure a book report, or the laws of motion.

Call it what you want - learning loss, the summer slide - but at the end of the day, taking a break from all learning can be detrimental. The American Educational Research Journal in a report titled School’s out: The role of summers in understanding achievement disparities that a study of kids in grades first through eighth found that the average student lost 17–34% of the prior year’s learning gains over summer break. Imagine all that hard work going to waste after just a few months of time off.

While no parent is looking to become an interim homeschool teacher in the summer months, there are low lift ways caregivers can make sure kids retain what they’ve already learned and possibly even get a little bit ahead. Then, when school starts back up again, students can hit the ground running.

Reading is one of the major skills to suffer a blow from the summer slide. Stand up for Children Colorado is a non- profit education advocacy organization focused on ensuring all students receive a high-quality education. They encourage parents to make reading a daily habit, starting with just 15 minutes. Nearly every library, including our own Nederland Community Library, hosts a summer reading program where kids are enticed to keep up with their pages through coupons for free goodies like ice cream and pizza. Whether through the library or other channels, provide your child with books on topics they’re interested in. And if you have a road trip planned, or will be in the car a lot, audiobooks are a great way to reinforce listening and comprehension skills.

Adjacent to reading, and equally important, is writing. Older kids might enjoy picking out a special journal whose pages they can fill by describing their summer activities. They could also make a summer break scrapbook with printed photos, postcards, ticket stubs, and other small mementos. Short captions or journal entries make for a fun reminder of a memorable summer. Younger kids can practice letter shapes with a good old- fashioned paper and pencil, or parent- loved brand Melissa & Doug sells a host of educational toys in this space like a giant Alphabet Activity Pad and the no cleanup Water Wow! Reusable Water- Reveal Alphabet Activity Pad.

Family word games are a collaborative way to get everyone involved in supporting learning over the summer. Bananagrams is a Scrabble-like game where players use their tiles to make crossword word grids. P For Pizza is for children eight and up where players shout out a word that links the letter on one card to the category on another. And Classic Boggle even comes in a junior version for kids three and older.

The same suggestions go for keeping up math and science skills. Find small opportunities in the day to count, measure, divide, and multiply. Play math- based games. Plan an outing to a science center or museum. Practice and exposure are the key approaches to maintaining skills outside of the classroom.

It’s one thing to lay out a plan and purchase all the learning gear, but how can parents keep kids interested in infusing a little education into their summer? Colorado Parent, in a post titled Simple Ways to Keep Kids Engaged Over Summer Break, suggests tackling a life-skills project. Again, tap into what your child is already excited about and find ways to expand on that. Maybe your son has been begging to redecorate his room. Turn it into a lesson. Give him a budget for new paint, linens, furniture, etc. (math). Encourage him to create a board of how he’d like the new room to look (design). Kids are more likely to want to participate if there’s a real-world application that allows them to learn by doing.

Of course, challenges and rewards can go a long way, too. Little ones are often motivated by a simple sticker chart or promise of a new toy while older kids might respond better to cold, hard cash or an extra special trip or activity with friends. Whatever it is, make sure everyone is on the same page with expectations and check in frequently.

Keep learning light, fun, and interesting and the summer is sure to end with an A+.