We’ve wrapped up most of our school work for the year. Barrett has a few math lessons left and then we’ll be DONE for the year. We may double up on our lessons each day or we may just call it quits this week.
Who knows.
For now, we’ll just keep tackling math lessons until I give up and throw in the towel.
That’s the beauty of homeschooling, isn’t it?
There are no hard and fast rules.
We’ve easily hit our hourly requirement for our state so what we decide to do this summer is up to us.
But there’s one thing for sure, even when we decide to put the books away, we won’t stop learning! We’re going to use a few handy tips to ensure we keep the learning going strong this summer.
Disclosure: I received compensation for my time sharing about IXL.
All opinions are my own and based on our family’s experience using the program.
5+ Tips to Keep Kids Learning Over Summer
Have a Summer Reading Challenge
When it comes to helping prevent summer learning loss, it’s been shown that kids who read 4-5 books over the course of the summer fare a lot better than the ones who don’t. Plus, there are all kinds of benefits to reading that make it a great activity to engage in all throughout the year.
Challenge your kids to read throughout the summer by having them commit to a certain number of books. Since they’re more likely to stick with it if they have the freedom to choose what they read, you can make a trip to the library, the bookstore, or even to an online bookstore such as Amazon and let them pick out their adventures.
You can also see if your local library is hosting a summer reading challenge. Many of them do . .. and they offer cool prizes and incentives to get kids excited about reading!
Check out this list of exciting books for teen girls.
Go on Fun Field Trips
In addition to the library, there are so many cool places to take your kids where they can not only have fun, but learn something new. Look for local spots such as zoos, nature centers, museums, aquariums, and more. You can also see if there are any local farms that would be willing to let your kids come for a visit.
Don’t miss a few of our favorite field trips from when my kids were itty bitty!
Attend Summertime Community Events
Chances are there are organizations (including the library and community center) that host fun and educational family events all throughout the summer months. You can probably fill your calendar with a ton of cool things to do!
Search local FB pages for things to do or reach out to your area Chamber of Commerce or rec department. They can usually point you in the right direction.
Do Outdoors Science Experiments and Activities
The beauty of science is that it’s literally all around you. You can turn almost anything into a science lesson! And summer time is a great time to try out some of the ones that are best suited for the indoors. Identify plants, then talk about how humans can use them. Track bugs and other animals, then talk about them. Search for shapes in the clouds, then talk about how they form and the different types. Grab a telescope and search the night sky, then talk about the constellations. The possibilities are limitless!
Have Outdoor Art Sessions
Want to encourage your child’s creativity? Grab some art supplies, head outside, and let their imaginations soar! You can even show them how to create art from nature.
Stay Sharp with IXL: Our Favorite Homeschool Learning Platform
The truth is, the summer slump is real. Every little thing that your kiddo forgets, is just something else to add to the list that you need to reteach next year. After more than a decade of choosing homeschool curriculum, I’ve learned that consistent practice is best for summer learning
Instead of letting my kids veg out in front of the TV all summer, I’ve made it my mission to keep them sharp! I knew I wanted something that they could do independently and anywhere. Because a lot of our learning takes place in the car, in waiting rooms and even on vacations. It needed to work seamlessly on phones, tablets and computers.
I was looking for something that combined engaging activities with meaningful academic learning. I wanted a program that would help Bear build real skills while still feeling fun and approachable. When I found IXL, it checked every box on my list.
IXL was exactly what we needed!
With over 17,000 interactive skills across all subjects, 1,300+ video tutorials and 120+ educational games, it was like a treasure trove of summer learning!
The comprehensive K-12 curriculum offers math, language arts, social studies, and science. Families can even add Spanish for an additional cost. No matter what Bear feels like doing, there’s guaranteed to be something for him!
But what really set IXL apart from other online platforms is the personalized learning. IXL adapts to your child’s level and guides them to what they should learn next.
The immersive learning experience shows me the analytics, recommendations and real-time diagnostics. Plus, the kids can earn awards for their skills! On top of that, it also identifies Bear’s strengths and the areas he needs to improve.
Once I’d made up my mind to integrate IXL into our days, it immediately became Bear’s go-to activity. He gets limited time on his electronics each day but the short videos on IXL quickly replaced the mind mush he was watching on YouTube Kids. IXL quickly soared to the top of my favorite educational apps list!
He was finding answers to questions that I’d never even thought to ask! (And holy smokes! IXL has over 160 BILLION questions answered! That’s basically every question that has ever crossed my mind.)
I love that the program is so interactive and it encourages independent learning. When Bear gets a question wrong, it explains the correct answer in an easy-to-understand way. IXL simplifies the information into bite-size chunks, which makes it easier for Bear to comprehend.
One of my favorite things about using IXL over the summer is how easy it is to fit into our day. Some mornings Bear works on a few skills before breakfast. Other days he grabs a tablet while we’re waiting for an appointment or riding in the car. Since everything is organized and easy to navigate, he doesn’t need me hovering over his shoulder the entire time.
As a homeschool mom, I appreciate having an online homeschool program that encourages independence. Instead of constantly asking me whether an answer is correct, Bear gets immediate feedback and can learn from his mistakes right away. That helps him build confidence while giving me a little breathing room to focus on other things.
I’ve also noticed that keeping learning consistent throughout the summer makes our transition back into our regular homeschool routine much smoother. Rather than spending weeks reviewing forgotten concepts, we can jump back into learning with momentum already on our side. That’s one reason I consider IXL one of the best educational apps for kids who want to keep their skills sharp while still enjoying summer break.
It’s easy to see why so many families trust IXL. More than 17 million students use the platform, and together they’ve answered over 160 billion questions. I love knowing we’re using a program that has helped so many students succeed.
Research shows that students who use IXL consistently tend to score higher on tests, which gives me confidence that the time Bear spends on the learning platform for students is making a real difference.
We’re enjoying IXL so much that we plan to continue to use it in our homeschool long after summer has ended! Between the personalized learning, real-time feedback, comprehensive curriculum, and flexibility to learn anywhere, it’s become one of the most valuable tools in our homeschool.
If you’re looking for a homeschool curriculum that can help prevent the summer slide and keep kids learning over summer, I highly recommend giving IXL a try.
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