Things to Do Over the Summer: Keeping It Fun and Meaningful

As the summer holidays begin, there’s often a collective sigh of relief from teachers, teaching assistants, and school staff who have worked tirelessly all year. It’s time for a well-deserved break before it all begins again in September. Parents, on the other hand, may be feeling a mix of excitement and anxiety as they wonder how to keep their children engaged for the next six weeks. It’s completely normal to feel this way. Anecdotally many teachers observe that children can experience a slight academic dip over the summer as routines are forgotten and helpful habits, like regular reading, begin to slip away. That said, summer is a vital time for children to rest, connect with nature, and most importantly, have fun. Still, there are simple and enjoyable ways to prevent summer learning loss and weave learning into those long summer days without it feeling like work.

Make Writing Part of Everyday Life

Writing is something we do almost daily, such as jotting down an idea at work or putting another chore onto your to do list! Over the summer, encourage your child to use writing in a natural and purposeful way. A great activity is keeping a holiday diary. Children can jot down their favourite moments, trips, or even how they’re feeling. When school starts again, they’ll have something personal to share with their new teacher. This doesn’t need to be done every day or with perfect spelling and handwriting. Let it be fun and creative. Even choosing a fresh notebook and pen from the supermarket can make this activity feel exciting. Consider pairing this with reading by encouraging them to write about characters or concepts they’ve encountered in their favourite tech-themed books. For younger children, writing a shopping list or helping pack for a trip can be a simple way to practise their writing skills. They could also try dictating a story to you to type up, or even using a simple word processing app on a tablet to create their own digital “summer adventure” story. Many children’s books about technology also inspire creative writing, perhaps prompting them to write about inventing a new gadget or a futuristic world. These everyday tasks are practical and feel meaningful, which helps make writing enjoyable rather than a chore. You might even find that simply leaving out paper, pencils and pens invites children to write as part of their play.

Keep Maths Real and Practical

Maths is everywhere in daily life, and summer is the perfect opportunity to help children see it in action, especially how it underpins so much of the technology around us! Older children can calculate the cost of a shopping trip or total up a lunch bill, perhaps using a calculator app on a phone or tablet. They might also enjoy managing their pocket money for a trip you’re taking, tracking it with a simple spreadsheet application or a budgeting app – exploring how these digital tools use maths to help organise finances. Encourage them to read books that feature characters who use maths to solve real-world or technological problems, from coding puzzles to designing robots. Younger children can join in too. Try counting how many different shells they find at the beach or spotting numbers on signs when out and about, including numbers on digital displays like smartwatches, games consoles, or smart home devices. Many engaging children’s books explore mathematical concepts through technology, such as how algorithms work or the geometry of building. You’ll be amazed how often maths comes up in everyday activities, both in the physical world and the digital one!

Reading: The One Thing to Prioritise

If you do just one thing over the summer, let it be reading. Keeping up with reading is incredibly beneficial for children and supports their learning across all subjects. With phonics books handed back to school for the summer, this is the perfect time to let children explore books freely. Let them choose what excites them, whether it’s comics, fairy tales, or fact books. Visit your local library and check out their summer reading competition. Even better yet you can also take part in our Summer of Stories and Discovery. Download the free booklet available on our website and enjoy sharing tech books and exciting activities such as a tech scavenger hunts and word searches. This could be the summer that inspires your child’s lifelong passion for all things technology! 

No Pressure! 

Summer holidays can feel daunting, especially when you’re juggling work, family time, and the occasional meltdown. Please don’t feel any pressure to turn your home into a classroom. These ideas are here to inspire, not overwhelm. Enjoy the slower pace. Spend time together. And if you do nothing else, maybe just pick up a book… or two!