What Is Summer Slide?
Every summer, something invisible happens to your child's learning. It's called "summer slide" - and it means that during those sunny months away from school, kids can lose up to one full month of what they learned during the year.
That might not sound like much, but here's what makes it serious: summer slide adds up. Year after year, small losses can stack on top of each other. By the time your child reaches middle school, the gap can be huge - and hard to close.
The sneaky part about summer slide? You probably won't notice it right away. Your child might start the new school year just a little behind. Their teacher spends the first few weeks reteaching last year's material. And the cycle continues.
Summer slide doesn't happen because your child isn't smart. It happens because the brain needs regular practice to hold on to what it's learned - just like a muscle needs regular exercise to stay strong.
The achievement gap that shows up in high school often traces back to what happened - or didn't happen - during elementary school summers.
Not the school year. The summers.
That means what your child does during summer break matters just as much as what happens in the classroom. And the time to act is now - during the elementary years, when your child's brain is building the foundation for everything that comes next.
The good news? You don't need to be a teacher. You don't need hours of free time.
1. Pick Your Packets
Choose Math, ELA, Comprehensive, or all three.
We recommend the complete set, but even one packet makes a difference.
2. Print Your Packets
Download and print your packets - everything is ready to use, no prep needed.
3. One Page a Day
Just 10 minutes a day helps your child stay sharp, build confidence, and start the next school year ahead.
Your annual membership comes with one year of unlimited access to our entire Super Teacher Worksheets library. That includes more than 26,000 teacher-written, curriculum-aligned materials covering everything under the sun for grades K–6. Over the past 18 years, we've been the go-to resource for hundreds of thousands of teachers and millions of students. If you want more, we've got it!
Select your child's grade to see exactly how to support them
| Don't Do This | Do This |
|---|---|
| Leave them to do the work alone | Read directions together to ensure clarity |
| Do the work for them | Let them try |
| Skip reading certain parts or instructions | Have them read questions and directions aloud |
| Hover and correct every small mistake | Encourage them to try, then let them ask for help Ask guiding questions such as, "What do you notice about the picture?" |
| Grade it like a test | Celebrate finishing the page, not getting 100% |
| Treat the packet like a punishment | Use our motivational tracking chart to keep it fun |
| Don't Do This | Do This |
|---|---|
| Jump in before they’ve had a chance to try | Let them read and try by themselves first |
| Give the answers outright | Ask guiding questions such as, "What information is shown in the chart?" |
| Only check the final answers | Ask along the way: "How did you get your answer?" |
| Erase and correct their work for them | Encourage them to fix mistakes themselves |
| Focus only on what they’re struggling with | Keep it positive Remind them they are improving every day |
| Don't Do This | Do This |
|---|---|
| Sit over their shoulder | Let them work independently, then review together |
| Tell them what to highlight or focus on | Encourage them to identify key information from the question |
| Solve or answer for them to save time | Give hints, not solutions |
| Check only for correctness | Ask them to explain their steps and reasoning |
| Skip quick review sessions | Ask one question about what they did each day |
| Don't Do This | Do This |
|---|---|
| Nag about practice without enforcing it | Set expectations and keep them |
| Micromanage when and how they do the page | Let them own the routine, then hold them accountable |
| Let one hard problem derail the whole page | Suggest they "skip and come back" if they hit a wall |
| Be the only answer-checker | Encourage them to always check their own work |
| Glance at work and say "looks good" | Deepen learning by asking about how they arrived at their answers |
| Don't Do This | Do This |
|---|---|
| Nag about practice without setting clear expectations | Be clear about goals and stick to them Let them fill out their own tracking chart to keep motivated |
| Micromanage their work routine | Hold them accountable, but let them own the routine |
| Accept one-word answers | Require full sentences that explain their thought process |
| Ignore or quickly brush past difficulties they have | Ask them to explain what is difficult, then help with guiding questions such as, "How can you tell if two fractions are equivalent?" |
| Praise only grades or accuracy | Celebrate building a habit of consistent practice |
