Keep Kids Learning This Summer – Preventing the Summer Slide
*This is a collaborative guest post
As the school year draws to a close, most kids look forward to a break from the classroom. But did you know that the long summer holidays can affect kids’ attainment?
Often referred to as the ‘Summer Slide’, extended time away from school during the summer holiday can lead to learning loss, which leaves some kids behind in September. In fact, research shows that the average summer learning loss is equivalent to one month of an academic year!
Thankfully, there are lots of ways to keep kids learning while still allowing them to enjoy their summer break. Here are some fun and engaging ideas to keep small minds active all summer long!
Little and often
Practicing maths and English for just a few minutes each day is a great way to prevent the ‘Summer Slide’. There are lots of ways to do this, all while keeping kids happy and engaged.
Discovery Education’s award-winning DoodleLearning apps are ideal for summer practice.
Filled with thousands of fun interactive exercises, games and rewards, DoodleMaths and DoodleEnglish transform learning into a rewarding activity that children always look forward to. And because they’re designed to be used in short bursts, they make summer learning quick and easy, too.
July sees the return of DoodleLearning’s popular Summer Maths and English Challenges, enjoyed by thousands of kids across the UK.
Both Challenges are designed to encourage a few minutes of daily Doodling, promoting healthy learning habits and boosting maths and English skills. To take part, kids simply need to use Doodle’s apps for 14 days, and they’ll receive a special pin badge and certificate!
To help kids enter the challenges, Discovery Education is giving parents 2 weeks’ free access to DoodleMaths and DoodleEnglish between 1st July and 18th August 2024. To sign up simply visit: doodlelearning.com/challenge-promotion and enter the code 2_WKS_SUMMER.
Using Doodle for just 10 minutes each day is proven to double a child’s rate of progression.* And best of all, the apps can be used offline on all devices, making them ideal for long summer car journeys!
Out and about
Finding things to do during the holidays can be a challenge, so why not combine summer learning with a fun day out?
Museums and galleries are ideal for educational day trips and with over 200 free venues in the UK, there are plenty to choose from.
Visiting an art gallery is a great way to inspire creativity and ignite kids’ curiosity in history and different cultures. Many UK galleries run free kids’ activities during the holidays while immersive experiences like Van Gogh’s digital art exhibition offer free entry for under 4s.
Kids In Museums has lots of information about family-friendly museums with ideas for fun days out across the UK. Check out their guides to the best museums for every age group, from babies and toddlers to teens!
Summer reads
Summer is the ideal time to encourage a love of reading and entering a competition is a great way to get kids hooked on books.
The UK’s biggest reading event – The Summer Reading Challenge – is now up and running and kids can enter at their local library or online.
With a theme of ‘Marvellous Makers’ this year’s challenge is all about getting creative and the challenge website has lots of recommendations for kids of all ages, with books by Joseph Coelho and Zanna Davidson making the shortlist. Kids taking part can sign up to receive rewards like certificates and medals and all types of books – non-fiction, picture, audio and e-books – count.
Everyday learning
Filling the holidays can be a challenge in itself and if you’re planning to be at home a lot this summer, there are lots of ways to mix everyday activities with learning.
Why not start by getting your kids involved with cooking? The prospect might seem daunting, but the kitchen is a great classroom and even basic recipes teach valuable skills such as measuring, counting and dividing. Favourite foods such as pizza or cookies are fun to make and Jamie Oliver has lots of easy recipes for little ones.
Another idea is to introduce new ingredients and talk to your kids about where different foods come from. If you’re lucky, you might even get help with tidying up!
As summer gets underway, we hope these tips help you to keep your kids learning and having fun. For an extra boost, don’t forget to claim your free two weeks Doodle. Simply head to the DoodleLearning website and enter the code 2_WKS_SUMMER to get started.
Happy summer everyone!
Based on earning 18 stars a day in DoodleMaths. Read the full study by visiting doodlelearning.com/impact.
I always think it really important to do at least a few minutes a day of learning in the summer to get ahead for the next year. Will check out the DoodleLearning app.