Summer holidays are often the most exciting times of the year for children. School is out, the weather is warm, and long days of fun with friends and family are finally here.
​
While a break from homework and classroom routines is important, months away from learning often has unintended consequences.
​
When children return to school in the autumn without practicing the skills they learned during the year, they may struggle to recall key concepts and find it harder to keep up with new material.
​
The good news is that a little effort during the summer can make a big difference. Keep reading to learn more about the "summer slide" and what you can do now to help your child start the next school year with confidence.
What Is the Summer Slide?
The summer slide, also known as summer learning loss, happens when children lose some of the academic skills and knowledge they gained during the previous school year. Over time, this can make it more difficult for them to stay on track academically and reach their full potential.
​
Research has shown that summer learning loss is a real concern. One of the earliest studies on the topic, published in 1996, found that many children experienced noticeable declines in reading and math skills over the summer months. These losses can accumulate year after year, creating larger learning gaps over time.
​
A more recent study conducted in 2020 examined students in grades 3 through 5 and found that, on average, children lost approximately 20 percent of their reading gains and 27 percent of their math gains during summer break.
​
Younger children—especially those in junior/senior infants, first class, and second class—are particularly vulnerable because they are in a critical stage of cognitive and academic development. During these early years, children are building foundational skills that support future learning. Without regular practice, important reading skills such as letter recognition and word reading, along with math skills like addition and subtraction, can weaken.
​
As a result, many students begin the new school year already behind. Instead of moving forward with their classmates, they often need extra time reviewing previous concepts before they can tackle new material.
​
For some children, this setback can affect confidence, classroom performance, and long-term academic success. That’s why taking action during the summer is so important.
​
If your child has a diagnosis (ADHD or Autism or Dyslexia or Dyscalculia or Twice Exceptional/2e) or is on a waiting list for assessment -- it's even more important to get started sooner than later.
​
Help Your Child Maintain Momentum
One of the best ways to prevent the summer slide is to make learning a regular part of your child’s summer routine. The encouraging news is that it doesn’t require hours of study each day. Just 20–30 minutes of meaningful learning activities can help keep important skills fresh.
​
Consider incorporating some of the following ideas into your child’s summer schedule:
​
Read, read, read! Reading is one of the most effective ways to prevent summer learning loss. The key is choosing books your child genuinely enjoys. When children are interested in what they’re reading, they’re more likely to stick with it. Make sure they have access to a variety of age-appropriate books that match both their interests and reading level.
​
Write every day. Encourage your child to spend a few minutes writing daily. They might write postcards, journal entries, stories, poems, shopping lists, or letters to family members. For younger children who are not yet writing independently, ask them to tell you a story while you write it down, then let them practice forming letters on a whiteboard or chalkboard.
​
Incorporate math into daily activities. Learning opportunities are everywhere. Ask your child to read numbers on signs, count coins, calculate totals while shopping, or tell time on an analog clock. Baking together is another great way to explore fractions and measurement. Older children can benefit from practicing multiplication facts, which provide a strong foundation for more advanced math concepts.
​
Boost problem-solving skills with games and puzzles. Puzzles, Sudoku, crosswords, word searches, strategy games, and brain teasers help children strengthen critical thinking and problem-solving skills while having fun. These activities keep young minds active without feeling like traditional schoolwork.
​
Get out! New experiences can be powerful learning opportunities. Visit a museum, planetarium, zoo, library, or historic landmark. Even something as simple as reading together at a local park can stimulate curiosity and encourage learning in a fresh environment.
​
Learn a new skill. Summer is the perfect time for children to explore something new. Younger children can practice life skills such as tying shoes or fastening jackets. Older children might enjoy learning to cook, write in cursive, code, draw, play an instrument, or develop a skill related to their favorite sport or hobby.
​
Imaginative play. Play remains an essential part of childhood development. Through imaginative play, children expand vocabulary, explore ideas, develop creativity, and strengthen communication skills. These experiences support cognitive growth and help maintain a positive attitude toward learning.
​
We understand that summer schedules can be busy. Family vacations, camps, sports, and other activities can quickly fill the calendar. Rather than trying to do everything, focus on a few activities that align with your child’s needs and interests.
​
Remember, every little bit helps.
Even small, consistent learning opportunities can make a meaningful difference in helping your child retain what they learned during the school year.
​​
If your child is reluctant to participate, consider using simple incentives such as extra screen time, a special outing, or another reward that motivates them to stay engaged.
​
The most important thing is to start now.
​​
Waiting until the last few weeks before school begins may not be enough to reverse months of learning loss.
​​
If you're concerned that your child may already be struggling with learning, attention, memory, or academic performance, summer is an ideal time to address those challenges before the next school year begins.
​
Brain training with Thinkable Learning Centre helps children strengthen the core cognitive skills that make learning easier and more effective. These skills include attention, memory, processing speed, reasoning, and other essential abilities the brain relies on to learn, read, think, and retain information.
​
When one or more of these cognitive skills is weak, children often work harder than necessary to keep up in school. Strengthening those skills can help improve learning efficiency, boost confidence, and support long-term academic success.
​
The longer learning gaps remain unaddressed, the more difficult they can become to overcome. That's why many families choose to use the summer months as an opportunity to give their children a head start before the new school year begins.
​
Our first step is always a simple, fun assessment to see how what your student needs and learn exactly how we can help you achieve your goals for the year ahead -- but let's have a chat first if you have questions? Never any charge for that and we're happy to make the time.
​
Contact Thinkable Learning Centre today to learn how brain training can help your child stay sharp, build confidence, and return to school ready to succeed.
Brain Training Can Help
How does it work? Three Steps. That's All It Takes. Our expert team guides every student (and their parents/partners!) through a three-step process: Assessment, engagement about the Results, and then Training for Strength. Each step is entirely personalized and crafted to the student's specific learning needs as identified by our world-class assessment. This process allows us cater to individual cognitive skill combinations that are unique to each individual. The outcomes our students enjoy as a result of completing our brain training programs include: increased processing speed, memory, attention, and all aspects of the cognitive learning process -- benefits that group work and private tuition can never meaningfully offer. Most students also get the secondary advantage of a measurable increase in reading proficiency!
We Do Things Differently At Thinkable!
​​​
​
Step One
Assessment is key. We evaluate every student's auditory, visual, memory, attention, language, & critical thinking skills. The cognitive skills results will outline their core strengths and areas for improvement (qualitatively & quantitatively), often validating concerns in specific & measurable ways.
Step Two
Programs are personalized. What you need -- nothing less, nothing more. Once skill differences are identified, we customize the brain training program that can target learning challenges. Interactive sessions keep students motivated and engaged, slowly building confidence in their new abilities.
Step Three
Train the brain! Repetition and intensity are the key to achieving a neuroplastic effect from brain training. Our trainers work with a singular focus of creating lasting outcomes by using the best neurocognitive methods available in our programs. Our activities are fun, engaging, and challenging.
