Summer slide: How educators can approach seasonal learning loss

The summer slide refers to the decline in academic performance that can happen when students take an extended break from their studies. While this seasonal learning loss is often associated with the summer, this phenomenon can occur during any long school holidays. 

The core challenge for educators is time. When students return to the classroom, you must revisit past lessons to help them remember instead of moving forward. This delay slows academic progress, disrupts your curriculum, and makes it harder to maintain momentum. That’s to say nothing of the impact on students who may feel frustrated and demotivated by the sudden drop in their scores since the last term. 

Do you think seasonal learning loss poses a major obstacle for your students? This article looks at the latest research and gives you practical steps on how to minimise or even reverse its effects.

What does the research say about seasonal learning loss?

Experts began studying the phenomenon of seasonal learning loss (more commonly known as ‘summer slide’) in the 1970s. However, it gained more widespread attention in the 1990s. Since then, there has been a series of large-scale research studies indicating a significant decline in academic progress and performance due to extended breaks.

One longitudinal study from 2020 analysed the past test scores of over 18 million students in the United States. Data showed that summer learning loss was not only widespread but also had a significant impact. While some students maintained or even improved their scores, 52% of the data subjects experienced some regression in all five consecutive summers studied. On average, they lost 39% of what they’d learned in the previous school year.

Another, more recent study from 2022 explored how summer learning loss impacted different subjects. Results showed that students suffered a 42% decline in their Maths scores, but only a 10% decline in their literacy scores. This suggests that some skills fade faster than others and that some subjects are easier to practice outside of school. For example, many parents read to their children, but few are likely to do Maths-based activities with them.

However, one meta-analysis discovered researchers often fail to replicate findings across studies — a sign that we can’t form full conclusions about seasonal learning loss yet. While educators should treat it like a plausible concern and take reasonable steps to prevent it, we shouldn’t operate based on rigid assumptions.

What factors influence seasonal learning loss?

One reason researchers struggle to replicate their findings is the wide variation across regions and cultures. Here are some of the factors that could mitigate or intensify learning loss:

• The age of the students
• The length of the holiday
• Climate and environmental factors
• Cultural attitudes toward school and academic breaks
• Access to learning resources
• Curriculum pacing
• Local and global disruptors, such as the COVID-19 pandemic

For example, an eight-year-old who spends their month-long break reading and doing educational-based play may experience no decline. Whereas a five-year-old who’s left to watch cartoons for the entire duration of their ten-week break may experience a significant decline in their academic progress.

What preventative measures can teachers take against seasonal learning loss?

No matter your context, there are plenty of ways educators can minimise the impact of seasonal learning loss while still ensuring students get a much-needed break from their studies.

• Enlist family support

Families play a crucial role in keeping young students engaged during school breaks. However, many are either unaware of seasonal learning loss or lack the time and resources to support their academic progress. This widens the gap between students and makes the learning experience less equal and equitable from year to year.

Sharing simple ideas can help families find learning opportunities outside of school. You can suggest short, inexpensive activities, such as cooking with measurements, using AI educational apps, or keeping a scrapbook journal, that are easily achievable. Encouraging them to build light routines, like 15 minutes of speaking in the child’s target language, can have an enormous impact.

• Set challenges for the break

Offering students optional tasks during the break can encourage them to keep learning by themselves. You could set reading goals, organise scavenger hunts for information, or give them a list of journal prompts for every day.

Many children aren’t motivated to study, especially during academic breaks. Framing the tasks as a “challenge” and giving them a choice over what to do can make them more inviting. You could even offer a prize for the student who completes the most tasks or performs the best at certain challenges.

• Invest in an educational programme

If your school has the resources, launching an educational programme could help students retain knowledge and skills over the break. Recent research shows that these types of programmes can have a significant impact on academic progress if implemented effectively.

School breaks are supposed to be an opportunity for students to recharge, so the syllabus should be light and engaging. For example, you might include STEM classes but focus on doing experiments and designing technology. You don’t need expensive tools or resources — students are likely to have a lot of fun competing to build the strongest bridge out of uncooked spaghetti.

• Instil a positive attitude in students

Helping students to see learning as a continuous process can encourage them to see breaks differently. They might not self-study, but they’ll be more inclined to read for pleasure or watch educational videos. You can try asking them about their hobbies and interests before long holidays, and helping them find ways to pursue them.

However, putting too much pressure on students can have a detrimental effect. Telling them it’s normal to forget some of what they’ve learned during a break can alleviate the pressure and help them develop a healthy, balanced attitude toward studying. 

• Adapt the curriculum

Some learning loss is inevitable after a long break, so the best response is to prepare for it. Rather than jumping straight into new material, building time for a low-pressure review into your school curriculum can help students recall what they’ve forgotten and ease them into the new term. You can include some of the following activities in these lessons:

• Using short recap quizzes to refresh key knowledge and identify areas that need review;
• Asking students to re-teach a topic to a partner using their notes or drawings;
• Running a whiteboard review where students write and display answers to quick-fire questions;
• Providing incorrect examples and asking students to spot and fix the mistakes.

Final thoughts

While some learning loss is natural, it’s not completely inevitable or irreversible. Schools can take measures to minimise its impact and maintain momentum after long holidays.

Fun educational activities can be a great way to keep students engaged over the summer. For example, you can use July and August to encourage everyone to practice their video-making skills, ready for the next Your World competition when it opens in September 2025. Learn more about the Your World competition and how Partner Schools can participate here.