☀️ Summer Learning Tips: Keep Skills Sharp Over the Holidays
- Simone Dahkoul
- Jun 7
- 3 min read
Summer holidays are a time for fun, rest, and quality family time—but they can also come with something called the “summer slide.” That’s when children forget key skills during long breaks from learning.
I’ve seen it many times in my tutoring sessions. A child who was reading fluently or writing confidently in June may feel like they’re “starting from scratch” by September. But here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way.
With just a few minutes a day of light, playful learning, you can keep your child’s brain active—without sacrificing the fun of the holidays.
Here are some of my favorite summer learning tips that I share with families I work with.
🧠 1. Keep It Light and Fun
This isn’t school—it’s summer! So the trick is to blend learning with play.
Here’s how:
Let your child pick the topic (e.g. dinosaurs, space, unicorns).
Turn reading into a treasure hunt—read signs, menus, recipes.
Use fun apps, board games, or card games that practice spelling, memory, or numbers.
Even a 10-minute game counts. The goal is to keep their mind moving without pressure.
📖 2. Read Together (Or Beside Each Other)
Whether your child is learning to read or reading on their own, daily reading is key.
What works well:
Set aside 15 minutes a day for shared or silent reading.
Take books to the beach, park, or on car rides.
Let them read aloud to a pet, sibling, or teddy—it boosts confidence!
Don’t worry if it’s the same book over and over. Repetition builds fluency.
✍️ 3. Keep a Summer Journal
I often encourage students to start a summer journal—even reluctant writers enjoy it when it’s fun and personal.
Ideas include:
A “What I Did Today” page with drawings
A travel diary from a holiday trip
A “Would You Rather?” question journal
Even a sentence or two a day makes a difference!
🧁 4. Learn Through Real-Life Activities
Learning doesn’t just happen at a desk.
Some of the most valuable learning happens:
While baking (measuring, sequencing, vocabulary)
During shopping (reading lists, adding totals, naming food in another language)
On family outings to a zoo, museum, or aquarium (descriptive language, recall, conversation skills)
Turn daily tasks into mini learning adventures.
🧩 5. Mix in Mini Lessons (Optional but Powerful)
If your child struggles in certain areas (like reading fluency, spelling, or math), summer is a wonderful time to gently bridge the gaps.
At Simone’s Tutoring, I offer light summer packages designed to:
Review last year’s key skills
Prepare for the new school year
Keep confidence high with fun activities
Lessons can be once or twice a week—online or face-to-face—and tailored exactly to your child’s needs and interests.
✅ Free Download: Summer Skills Checklist
Want to track your child’s progress without stress? I’ve created a simple free printable Summer Skills Checklist with reading, writing, and talking goals you can check off together.
🌼 Final Words from Me
Summer should be joyful, slow-paced, and memory-filled. But keeping just a little learning in the mix can make the return to school so much smoother—and your child will thank you for it (even if they don’t say it out loud yet!).
If you’d like support or a customized summer learning plan, feel free to reach out. I’m always here to help your child grow with confidence, one small step at a time.
$50
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