Summer Slide: What Is It and How Can Parents Prevent It?

Did you know that over the summer holidays, students typically lose a significant amount of what they’ve learned during the past academic year? 

This is known as the summer slide and could be a real obstacle to your child’s learning. 

In fact, according to Forbes, pupils can lose up to 40% of their learning during the summer break!

So, what can we do about it?

Here, we’ll look at some ways of preventing summer slide and answer some of your burning questions. But first…

What is the summer slide?

Summer slide, also known as summer learning loss, refers to the academic skills that students lose during the summer holidays while school is out.

This learning loss can be significant – especially when it comes to subjects like maths and literacy.

Essentially, students have less opportunity to practise and hone what they learned during the school year.

This results in not just a stagnation in their learning, but an active loss of up to 40%, according to Forbes! Which brings us onto…

Summer learning loss statistics

The summer slide can affect any student, but there are some who are more affected than others.

Here are some summer learning loss facts and stats.

1. Younger children are prone to more learning loss

This is likely down to two key reasons.

Firstly, younger children are at a crucial stage in their development, with learning following a curve where it accelerates quickly in early life and then starts to plateau.

And secondly, skills that younger children are mastering are typically more susceptible to decay without frequent practice – such as decoding, letter knowledge, word reading, addition and subtraction.

2. Children from low-income families are more affected

Children from low-income families are disproportionately affected by summer learning loss.

In fact, research cited in the American Sociological Review found that more than half of the gap in reading between low-income 9th graders and their middle-income peers can be attributed to differences in summer learning accumulated between first and fifth grade.

3. Summer learning loss averages around one month of regression

A comprehensive review of 39 studies found that summer learning loss is equivalent on average to around one month of regression on a grade-level equivalent scale.

4. 52% of students lose an average of 39% of total school year gains

A study published in the American Education Research Journal followed students in grades 1 through to 6 over five summers.

It found that 52% of students lost an average of 39% of their total school year gains during the summer months.

5. Summer learning loss can be cumulative

The months of learning lost during a single summer can build up over time.

When you add up potential reading loss over the years, a student could lose the equivalent of around two years of learning to summer slide by the time they reach middle school age.

How to prevent summer slide

Although summer slide is common, it’s also worth noting that not every student will lose learning over summer.

In fact, it’s been shown that some simple steps can not only help to prevent learning loss from occurring, but potentially even see your child make learning gains during those summer months.

In this way, if you make the most of them, the summer holidays can be an excellent opportunity to catch up with peers or even get a headstart on the year ahead.

1. Encourage reading

First things first, encourage your child to read as much as possible over summer, and provide them with access to a range of books.

Research has shown that children who don’t read at all over summer could lose reading skills equivalent to as much as an entire grade level.

Meanwhile, children who read at least six books during the summer holidays can maintain – or even improve – their reading skills.

We always recommend letting your child read what they want to, as the more they enjoy reading, the more they’ll get out of it.

2. Explore game-based learning

There are tons of fun resources and games that can help your child to keep up their learning while having fun.

These range from board games and flashcards to online game-based activities.

As an example, primary learners will love Bitesize’s fun and educational science, maths, history and English games for primary students.

Making screentime more productive as well as enjoyable is a no-brainer!

3. Find a tutor

If your child is lagging behind in a specific subject or you just think they could do with a leg-up, why not find a tutor to help them over the summer?

Our handpicked tutors are experts at bringing their subjects to life with engaging one-to-one tutoring sessions tailor-made to your child.

Not only can the right tutor help to stop the summer slide, but they can even help your child to make academic gains by turning weaknesses into strengths.

In this way, your child can prepare to return to school in September with a new-found confidence and boosted skillset.

Learn more about the benefits of tutoring in our dedicated blog.

4. Plan educational activities

If you look hard enough, you’ll find educational elements in all sorts of everyday activities. 

Maximising these opportunities can make a big difference in keeping up your child’s learning.

Here are just a few ideas to get you started…

• Introduce your child to kitchen science experiments like making slime or creating baking soda volcanoes
• Create a treasure map with problem-solving clues scattered around the house that lead to the ‘treasure’ 
• Get your child to help measure the quantities (or double or half the recipes) next time you’re cooking or baking their favourites
• Spend the afternoon designing and creating a new board game for your next games night

The key here is to work your child’s brain and incorporate learning in a way that feels effortless and fun for everyone!

5. Get out of the house

Last but not least, why not broaden your child’s horizons by getting them out of the house and bringing them to new locations that promote learning?

For instance, you could…

• Visit a historic site
• Go to a museum
• Visit a planetarium
• Borrow books from the library
• See what nature you can find at your local park

According to experts, novelty stimulates the brain, so simply heading to a new place can be a fantastic way to prevent summer learning loss and keep your child engaged.

Find a tutor to help stop the summer slide

Keen to prevent summer learning loss, or even help your child to make gains in time for the new school year?

Why not find a tutor to bring their subject to life and inspire your child with one-to-one sessions tailored to their interests, skills and learning style?

All our tutors are carefully handpicked and have at least 2 years of experience, so you know you’re in safe hands.

In fact, we only accept 1 in 8 of the tutors who apply to join our platform!

Say goodbye to summer slide and make the most of these summer months to give your child a valuable headstart.

FAQs

What is the summer slide in literacy?

The summer slide in literacy refers to the loss of skills experienced by many learners over the summer holidays. Research has shown that children who don’t read at all over summer could lose reading skills equivalent to as much as an entire grade level!

What are the effects of summer slide?

The effects of summer slide can be far-reaching, including:

• Loss of learning
• Lower test scores
• More time spent reteaching
• Wider achievement gaps (especially for students from low-income backgrounds)
• Loss of confidence and motivation

How do I stop the summer slide?

You can stop the summer slide – or even reverse it – by helping to stimulate your child’s brain and giving them opportunities to practise academic skills throughout the summer holidays.

For instance…

1. Encourage reading for pleasure
2. Give your child access to game-based learning activities
3. Build learning into everyday activities
4. Get your child out of the house
5. Get the help of a tutor 

How much knowledge is lost over the summer?

According to Forbes, children can lose up to 40% of their learning during the summer break. However, this can vary depending on factors like your child’s age, socioeconomic background, and access to books.

Which group is most vulnerable to summer learning loss?

Children from low-income families are more vulnerable to summer learning loss.

However, research has shown that children who read at least six books during the summer holidays can maintain (or even improve) their reading skills, regardless of socioeconomic background.

Do kids forget what they learned over the summer?

Yes, it’s common for kids to forget what they learned over the academic year during the summer holidays. In fact, in a survey of 500 teachers, two-thirds claimed that it takes 3-4 weeks to reteach the previous year’s skills in September.