HiReader,
Do you know what used to drive me absolutely bananas?
How, after a full summer off, I’d sit down to teach and discover that not a single one of my kids could remember how to write a complete sentence or do a basic math problem. 🫠
After pouring so much into our homeschool year, it felt like summer undid it all. There's even a word for this in the wider education world: the "summer slide."
And they don't mean waterslide, or anything remotely fun like that. 🛝They mean slide back, as though our kids lose something over the summer.
But I've been homeschooling for nearly two decades, and here’s what I know: Summer break isn't time lost. It's time gained.
Yes, even if your kids forget everything they seemed to know in May.
Even if you have to repeat math lessons or review the difference between an adjective and a verb. (And listen, you will have to do this. 😆)
Calling it the "summer slide" negates something less measurable but far, far more meaningful than whether your kids need a quick refresher on multiplication facts or how to fix a sentence fragment. Here's what it is:
Summer is a season for connection.
It's a season for being. For remembering that we like each other, that we enjoy one another's company.
In fact, everything we do in the summer that fosters connection is not evidence of summer slide. It's not time lost. It's time gained.
Here's what I propose we all make time for over the summer, with no guilt or worry about the "summer slide" whatsoever:
I mean, I know you're shocked that I would propose this. 😉 If you're out of the habit of reading something for the sheer delight of it, you may have forgotten what a restorative and energizing activity it can be.
Start with something easy and delightful. Just one good book can nudge you back into the habit.
🎧 Here's a podcast episode to get you going: Reading for Fun Is More Important Than You Think
Rest isn't something you earn. It's a gift.
And God made us to not only desire rest, but to even require it.
Time away from structured learning gives space for the best connections to rise to the surface—often during lazy afternoons by the lake or spontaneous backyard stargazing.
🍦 Here's what to do: nothing. The trick is to do nothing without feeling guilty for it. You're focusing on connection!
You know who's in your homeschool longest?
Yep. YOU.
And that means that anything you do this summer to refresh your summer means that you'll come into the school year as a better version of yourself—a gift you get to offer your kids.
Whether it’s an hour alone at a coffee shop, silence on the trail, or a good novel with iced tea, figure out what refreshes you. Then make some time for that.
Our kids aren’t projects. (I need this reminder often.) They’re quirky, creative, maddening, wonderful little humans, and they’re worth enjoying.
Sometimes the best summer memories are the simplest—reading picture books on a blanket, roasting marshmallows just because, or serving froyo for dinner (🙋🏼♀️ I did that once, and my two adult daughters say it's among their fondest childhood memories).
You can jump in with an intentional plan to relish by doing something like 🎭 Shakespeare Summer (so far, participants are telling us we weren't wrong when we said it's the best thing we've ever made at RAR!), but you can also push the easiest easy button of all and just relish the opportunities that naturally arise.
- You don't need to "make the most of your summer"
- You don't need to "make it count"
- You don't need to worry about the "summer slide"
It's all summer gain.
Because time spent building connections with our kids is never a slide backward. It's always, always, always a gain.
Happy summer.
xo, Sarah
P.S. Would your kids like to share about a book they've loved lately (either on their own or as a read-aloud)? They can leave a voice message here! We'll air it on an upcoming episode of the podcast. 🙌🏼