For many students, summer vacation is the most eagerly awaited time of the year. But does vacation also bring with it the risk of forgetting what they have learned? This question has been the subject of research since the 1990s, when the term “summer learning loss” was coined to describe the loss caused by the long school break.
A review study by Harris Cooper (1996), one of the first meta-analyses to quantify this phenomenon, estimated that the losses could amount to a month of learning at a given grade level, or even more. The interruption proved to be more detrimental in mathematics than in reading, with a significant impact on calculation and spelling.
More recently, systematic reviews and meta-analyses such as those by Gierczyk and Hornby (2023) and Baş (2023) confirm these findings. In fact, the summer break can result in significant setbacks, especially for students in the early years of schooling or those from more disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds. One hypothesis is that without regular practice, basic areas of learning such as decoding, writing, or arithmetic—which require continuous training to consolidate—tend to regress. Although many children partially recover these skills in the first weeks of the new school year, not all do so at the same pace.
The good news is that small actions, carried out lightly and enjoyably during the holidays, can help prevent this loss effect. This recent article by the US organization Children at Risk highlights the role of parents in prevention. Through simple activities integrated into family routines, it is possible to support children without replicating school at home.
Below are suggestions for practical activities that can be adapted to different school levels.
Reading: reading for pleasure, every day
- Set aside 15 to 30 minutes every day for reading for pleasure, adapted to the level and tastes of the child or young person. Let your child choose the books—comic books, magazines, or short stories are equally valid.
- Maintain or reinforce your own reading habits, as this behavior will encourage your child by example.
- Visit libraries and bookstores as a family, or encourage book exchanges between friends and family members.
- Read aloud and talk about the texts: reading aloud training promotes reading fluency (essential in the early years), and dialogue reinforces comprehension and expands vocabulary.
- Make reading a game: set a goal for the number of books the family wants to read during the summer and plan a celebration if it is achieved (or if there is consistent effort).
Writing: writing with purpose and imagination
- Encourage your child to keep a vacation diary, with short sentences (in the early years) or more elaborate paragraphs (in middle and high school).
- Write postcards, letters, or emails to friends and family recounting vacation stories, promoting organized writing.
- Create lists together: wishes for the summer, ideas for outings—promoting functional writing.
- Make notes for photo albums or invented stories based on what they have experienced. Teenagers can opt for blogs or scripts for plays or home videos.
Mathematics: relying on mathematics in everyday life
- Include mathematics in daily activities, such as cooking. It is an excellent opportunity to review fractions, multiplication, and proportions. Ask the child to adapt the recipe to double or half the amount.
- When shopping, encourage the child to explore values, compare prices, calculate change, or apply discounts.
- Promote games with numbers, such as dominoes, sudoku, or board games that involve strategy and calculation.
- Explore books that involve mathematics, such as Figuras Figuronas, by Maria Alberta Menéres (1st cycle), or Pequeno Livro da Desmatemática, by Manuel António Pina and Pedro Proença (recommended for 5th and 6th grades).
- Visit museums and interactive centers where you can observe mathematics in the real world—from engineering to natural sciences.
Autonomy and self-regulation: routines and opportunities
- Create a light but structured routine, with time set aside for different types of activities. Ensure they get the necessary hours of sleep and some predictability and consistency in their environment, even on vacation.
- Set small weekly goals with your child and encourage them to track their progress.
- Give them opportunities to make decisions, plan their day, or perform small age-appropriate tasks.
Rather than replicating school at home, take advantage of everyday moments to create learning opportunities: during playtime, conversations, or family chores. Vacations are an essential stage of development, during which rest and cognitive stimulation can coexist. Small, consistent gestures can make a difference.
