All kids look forward to summer and the break from school that it provides. When it comes to their education, however, there can be a drawback: Summer learning loss, also sometimes referred to as "the summer slide". According to research from NWEA, kids in grades 1-8 lose 17% up to 34% of the previous year’s learning gains on average each summer.

Luckily, there are simple strategies parents can use to prevent the summer slide, and it doesn’t have to be boring, either. Here are six fun suggestions parents can implement.

1. Make Vacation Stimulating

Whether you’re headed out of town or planning a staycation, chances are you are surrounded by learning opportunities. Make museums a key part of your trip and take the time to read and interact with the exhibits. Visit zoos, aquariums and historical sites as part of your trip and spend some time learning at each stop. There’s no reason that vacations can’t be both fun and educational — and most destinations offer opportunities for both at the same time.

2. Be Artistic 

Drawing, painting, coloring or doing other arts and crafts can stimulate creativity and avoid the passiveness of more screen time. Plus, it only takes a few supplies to get started. The artistic options are endless, from drawing their favorite superheroes or movie characters to going outside and painting a landscape. Creativity has been shown to develop kids’ critical thinking skills.

3. Stay Active

Research has shown that being physically active helps with learning and improves alertness, attention and motivation in children, so make sure that exercise and play is a big part of your kids’ summer. This can be as simple as going outside to play each day, or you can make it a more structured family affair, as well, with walks, bike rides, pickleball, family outings and more!

4. Write in a Journal or Diary

Another way to keep the creative juices flowing is the lost art of journaling. Encourage your child to write each day, either about their own life or something creative — whatever they feel like! You can also make it collaborative, where you each write a sentence or a paragraph for a shared story and keep it going all summer long. In addition to enhancing their creativity, writing daily keeps your kids’ writing and spelling skills sharp.

5. Create a Summer Reading Challenge

Reading is one of the simplest and most impactful ways to keep your child’s mind stimulated throughout the summer. There are many ways to keep your child interested in reading. For example, reading a book each night before bed is an excellent way to help children practice their reading skills in a fun and relaxed environment.  You can provide them with high interest/low vocabulary books so they can practice reading interesting books independently. Another way to make it fun is to create a summer reading challenge for your entire family, where you track how many books each family member completes. You can reward everyone’s efforts often with special outings or events. Many local libraries also offer summer reading challenges where you can compete against other kids in the community.

6. Make Math Fun 

Kids tend to view math as a chore, but you can give it some real-life applications that will keep their mind fresh and in “math mode.” For example, you can play board games, card games or even computer games that test their math skills. Bake or cook together, and have your kids calculate the ingredient measurements required to complete the recipes. Have your kids calculate the tip when you go out to a restaurant for dinner or guess the total of the bill based on each person’s order. There are dozens of ways they can put their math skills to practical use in real life.

Extra Help Is Available 

If your child is struggling with learning and may have special needs, the summer is also a perfect time for a Child and Adolescent Specialized Assessment (CASA) at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. This specialized assessment can give parents, health care providers and educators a better sense of your child’s specific educational and behavioral needs. Beyond just the assessment, the specialists of the CASA program will also help come up with a specialized treatment plan for your child’s home, school and health care to provide them with the support they need to be successful both in and out of school.