5 Simple Ways to Prevent the “Summer Slide” after Kindergarten

Over the summer, students tend to lose some of what they've learned the past year. My best advice is to keep the learning going with these simple ways to help prevent the summer slide after Kindergarten at home.

What is the “Summer Slide”?

The “Summer Slide” is a nickname for the learning progress that is halted over the summer months. When students return to school, the next grade level teacher often has to backtrack a bit to get students ready for new content that they are learning. While I am a huge believer in kids needing a break and to enjoy summer, I think that they can spend a half hour per day doing something academic (ps it doesn’t have to just be a worksheet either!) Sometimes parents will think that they have to do “school” or tutoring over the summer to make sure their child doesn’t fall behind, but that is not the case! In fact, taking a break can help reignite a love for learning and excitement for school.

Here are 5 ways to help prevent the “Summer Slide”

1. Read daily 

This is the BIGGEST tip I have for parents to do with their children throughout the summer and honestly all the time! Find time to read with your child daily, whether it's a nightly bedtime story or going to the library to pick out new books, or reading a chapter book together. If your child is reading, have them read for 20 minutes a day, whatever book they want to read. Don’t worry about reading levels or building their reading fluency or comprehension, let them read for enjoyment only. 

2. Find real-life learning opportunities over the summer

I like to send home a list of fun activities they can do with their child, some camps or workshops that the local library or school is offering, schedules for $1 movie days, free or discounted prices at local zoos, etc. I’ve also held a week long “Bridge to 1st” camp at my school that they could send their kids for a few hours a day for one week that we would do some academic review, but also fun STEM projects, community building, and lots of imaginative, free play. 

3. Play games 

Another way I encouraged kids to continue learning is by playing games. Board games are a great rainy day activity that practice a variety of skills, like counting, taking turns, matching, word building, and more. Play games like hopscotch to practice counting, skip counting, or adding. Dump out Scrabble tiles and practice making words with the letters. Games are a great way to encourage learning, but still making it fun.

4. Play outside

Get kids to play outside! One thing I looked forward to all summer is playing outside for hours. However, when I look around my neighborhood now, there are hardly any kids out on a nice day. Aim for an hour of outdoor play a day, whether you are going to the playground, riding bikes, drawing with chalk, or going on a nature hunt. 

5. Find 20 minutes to review Kindergarten skills daily

You don't need much time to practice Kindergarten skills to make a huge impact. Just 20 minutes a day is all your child needs to review Kindergarten skills. It should be a mix of phonemic awareness, phonics, math, and writing. And I've created the easiest solution to getting this 20 minutes of daily learning in!

The Kindergarten Daily Summer Review Packet offers numerous benefits that make it the ideal solution for preventing summer learning loss. Designed to be quick and easy, each lesson takes just 20 minutes a day, fitting seamlessly into your summer schedule. The daily review includes eight weeks of no-prep mini-lessons and activities, saving you time and effort while ensuring your child practices essential skills in phonemic awareness, phonics, writing, and math.

Not a teacher? No worries! This daily review was designed to be parent-friendly. It includes one-page scripted lessons make it easy for anyone, even without teaching experience, to guide their child’s learning confidently.

These hands-on activities are engaging and interactive, keeping your child excited about learning, while the clear scope and sequence overview help you stay organized and track your child’s progress. This program perfectly balances learning and play, ensuring your child enjoys a fun-filled summer while staying academically prepared for first grade.

Watch a sample lesson and see everything it includes here:

If you're a teacher, you can send home a take-home packet for parents

For my students' end-of-year gift, I always put together a packet of worksheets covering various skills for them to work on. I inform parents that this is entirely optional and only if their children want to participate, with no expectation for them to complete the entire packet. The worksheets and activities include coloring, writing, and cutting and pasting. I have prepared a packet of Kindergarten review activities for you, which can be used as an end-of-year review or sent home with your students. This packet includes 40 pages of phonics, writing, and math practice.

Here are both options for Kindergarten daily summer review:

I recommend the Daiy Summer Review for parents, because it includes a parent guide. The Kindergarten review worksheets work well as an end of year review at school or to send home with students over the summer.

You can find it on TPT here:

Kindergarten Daily Summer Review: ELA and Math Practice

Kindergarten Math and Literacy Skills Summer Review Packet

I hope these ideas are helpful to prevent the summer slide whether you are a teacher or parent! What suggestions would you add?