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Summer vacation is supposed to be a time to unwind, take a break, and enjoy the warm weather. Unfortunately, for many kids, this also means they start to forget some of the things that they learned in the previous year. This is called the summer slide.

Part of making sure your kids are ready to head back to school is to help them retain all of the knowledge they learned the year before.

Don’t worry, you don’t have to practically homeschool your children all summer to avoid this. You can do many things with your children either one-on-one or as a family to help them continue learning.

This isn’t just for the summer, either. All year long, you can use some or all of these tips to keep them learning throughout the school year, too. Learning can be fun and can happen without your kids knowing. 

Fun Ways To Get Ready To Go Back To School

Read Books

For us, this is the most important thing we do to help prevent summer slide. We are big readers in our family, so this isn’t even a chore for us, but I realize there are people out there who don’t enjoy reading as much as we do. The biggest key to getting your kids to love reading is to make it fun!

If your kids don’t love books, maybe they will enjoy comics or graphic novels. Even audiobooks can help. Research says that kids only need to read six books over the summer to prevent summer slide, so make that your goal, and if you read more than that, great!

Visit The Library

The library is a lot of fun, and you don’t even have to check out any books. Younger kids will love playing with the toys in the children’s section or playing educational games on the computer. Maybe even go in for storytime. Being read to is also highly beneficial. 

Educational Games And Apps

Just because something is on an electronic device doesn’t mean it isn’t helpful in teaching your children new skills. We have several LeapFrog products and games in our house, and I know they have helped my son get ready for and excel in Kindergarten and beyond.

If you don’t have a LeapPad or similar device, plenty of phone apps are available for learning. 

Math Flashcards

I know, I know. This doesn’t sound like much fun, does it? If you approach it like a chore, then no, it won’t be fun at all. If you approach it as something fun and make a game out of it, your kids will be much more receptive to the idea. 

Fun Workbooks

Same as above. It’s all about the approach. My six-year-old son loves to do things that make him feel like a big kid, so treat educational workbooks as a big kid activity.

We also don’t make him work in them, but they are available if he wants to. There are plenty of other ways he’s learning, so we don’t make it a big deal. It’s summer. It’s time to be relaxed, right?

Visit Museums, Zoos, and Aquariums

There is so much learning to be had from a fun visit to a museum or aquarium. This summer, we have taken the kids to the science and natural history museum as well as a western art museum.

To my surprise, my kids both loved the art museum more than I thought they would. So even if you think your kids may not enjoy it, give it a try. They just might surprise you! 

Zoos and animal parks are also great places to learn about animals and the world around us. Hands-on learning is the best kind of learning if you ask me!

Go On Vacations And Road Trips

Even if you can’t go on a vacation to another state or country, even going on a small road trip a few towns away has great benefits. Kids learn so much about the world around them through travel and exploration.

I’m sure you can find a town near home that you haven’t been to before or even explore new places in your own town. Travel experiences will not only help prevent summer slide but also give your kids lasting memories. 

Keep A Summer Journal 

Have you taken any trips, or have your kids gone to summer camp? Maybe they have played a summer sport? There is plenty for your kids to write about in a summer journal.

If your kids aren’t old enough to write well yet or just don’t like to, have them draw pictures about their summer. It will be fun and a nice keepsake for you to look back on in the years to come. 

Play Board Games

Learning through games is a fun and sneaky way to keep your kids learning throughout the school year. Even simple math board games help your kids with reading, math, sharing, and taking turns. These are all valuable lessons that they won’t even know they’re learning. 

Cook Together

Our youngest son loves to help in the kitchen. These are life skills that they will need to know, so why not teach them some family recipes or get them a kids’ cookbook and get them cooking? They can learn measurements and even chemistry, especially if they help you bake. 

Final Thoughts

There are a lot of ways to have fun while getting ready to go back to school. Learning doesn’t have to be boring. There are plenty of educational activities your children will enjoy and not even know they’re learning!