Guest Blog: 5 Ways to Prevent Learning Loss over Summer

During the long summer holiday it is inevitable that children will lose some of the learning they

acquired over the course of the previous year at school, and they will get out of the habit of

studying. This doesn’t have to be the case though. While it is important for students to have a

relaxing and enjoyable break from school there are certain activities that can be built into the daily

routine to ensure students don’t become too rusty over the summer. Here we suggest 5 ways to

help prevent loss of learning over the summer holidays:

Reading should be an important part of a child’s daily routine during the summer holidays. Time

should be set aside each day for children to read by themselves, or with an adult if they require help.

If it is done at the same time each day, such as for an hour after lunch or after the evening meal,

children will know what to expect. Teachers will be able to advise parents on suitable books for their

child’s reading level. Regular trips to the local library will ensure there is always fresh reading matter

to hand and a librarian can help with book selection if necessary.

Just as with reading, maths can be incorporated into the daily summer holiday routine too. If

children get into the habit of solving a few maths problems each day they won’t lose the maths skills

they’ve built up over the year. In the morning, such as after breakfast, might be a good time to work

on a couple of maths problems, so those who don’t enjoy maths aren’t dreading it all day. Parents

shouldn’t allow children to dwell on them or get too stressed about them. Again, teachers should

advise parents on where the student is struggling and these areas can be focused on over the course

of the summer, in a fun way if possible so the child can see the enjoyment in maths.

Creative Writing Time

The summer holidays are a great time to work on a child’s writing skills. Holidays and day trips

provide great subject matter for children to write about. A trip to a museum, for example, can fuel a

child’s imagination and provide inspiration for numerous creative writing projects. Writing a short

paragraph a day, or a paragraph a week, depending on the age and writing level of the child, should

be achievable. Parents can allow children a certain amount of freedom when it comes to subject

matter and style of writing, to allow them as much creative input as possible. Good projects for the

summer would be writing a diary of a holiday, creating a magazine or writing a story.

Identify a Child’s Needs

Teachers are well aware of the areas of weakness of particular students. Parents should liaise with

their children’s teachers before the end of term to identify which subjects should be focused on

during the summer holidays. Their end of year report will also highlight areas for improvement. By

concentrating on these during the holidays a child can start the autumn term feeling more confident

and capable, and they may even have caught up with their peers to some extent. At the very least

they will not have fallen behind any further.

Use a Private Tutor

To really ensure a child keeps up the momentum with their learning parents could consider hiring a

private tutor. The summer holidays are a good time for private tuition as it allows the previous year’s

learning to be consolidated and it enables students to prepare for the autumn term, whether they

have exams to focus on or they need to catch up with their peers before term starts. A private tutor

is able to target learning around those areas of weakness. Fleet Tutors have a large network of

experienced tutors across the UK who are available to work with students over the summer holidays.

Whether a student needs help preparing for an exam, such as the 11+, or simply needs to gain

confidence and skills in a particular subject Fleet Tutors will find the right tutor to ensure a

successful outcome.