We all work hard throughout the whole school year. But when summer hits, that worry about the summer slump comes around! And whether you are a homeschooling Mom or a traditional schooling family, you probably have some worries about the summer slump. In fact, you might just have some worries about just keeping your kids entertained for the summer! So now, I’m sharing my favorite recommendations for summer homeschooling and learning with some great products and ideas.

Keep Summer Homeschooling Simple

When my first child, who is now 16, was in early elementary school, I didn’t tell him there was any such thing as summer. He knew about the seasons, but I just didn’t tell him that kids generally didn’t do school in the summer. Can you believe it? He went with it for a few years but then he got smart! And then I had to adjust my plans for his summer learning. Even though I made that choice early on, I’m glad that our summer learning is more relaxed now. Even though I still think that yearlong learning is important, I also now realize the importance of rest in the summer. My kids work hard all year, and I want to preserve childhood as much as I can. So that means plenty of time for playing in sprinklers, chalk art, and riding bikes.

So my best advice, no matter what you choose for summer homeschooling, is to keep it simple. If you choose to compete one of the workbooks I recommend, that’s great! But keep the plan simple, not only for your child, but for yourself. Moms deserve a break in the summer too! So if that means more screen time and less instruction time, don’t feel guilty about that. I spent too many years worrying about those things. And childhood is just too short!

Summer Homeschooling and Learning Workbooks

I have used the same workbooks with my kids for over a decade. And believe it or not, they actually enjoy it! My younger kids look forward to it every year. They are simple and straightforward. And they have the answers in the back of the book! I hope you find them as helpful as I have and that you avoid that summer slump.

Here are all of the links to each grade level of Summer Bridge Activity workbooks. And if you use my link, the price remains the same for you and I get a small percentage of that purchase price.

For older kids, I’m trying something new this year! I ordered this book for my daughter who’s going into high school. I have it at home and look forward to getting it started.

You can order it here, or by clicking on the photo:

This book is also available for grades 7-8, although I have experience with the Summer Bridge books for those grades.

Handwriting

During summer homeschooling, I also really like to focus on subjects that might not get enough emphasis during the school year. For us, these may include art, handwriting, spelling, and test prep.

Believe it or not, I actually still have my teenager practice cursive handwriting occasionally. He’s not great at it, and that’s ok! But I think it’s a good practice in patience, and also an art form. Be sure to check out this Cursive Handwriting Book for Teens for your older kids. And for your younger ones, this handwriting book is fun: Beautiful Handwriting!

Math Practice

For math facts practice, we use some apps. But I also make sure that they have finished the curriculum that they used throughout the school year. You don’t need any fancy curriculum because you probably already have some leftover from the year! But I also like to keep things fun with these Math Wrap-Ups that I’ve been using since I was a kid. I had a wonderful math teacher in elementary school who used these in the classroom. And I’m so happy to use them with my kids too! There are lots of different varieties, from addition to pre-algebra, and even preschool skills! Click on the picture to purchase through my link.

Sample Summer Homeschooling Schedule

In all honesty, I don’t believe much in schedules during the summer! But I know that it can be very helpful for times when you’re feeling overwhelmed or when kids are going crazy. A lot of your schedule will depend on how many kids you have, and what your family commitments look like. If you work outside of the home, and you are shuffling kids to and from camps and childcare, your schedule will look very different. But if you are primarily at home, here’s what a sample summer homeschool schedule might look like.

8 am – Breakfast

9 am- Chores, music practice rotations

10 am- Quiet reading, math facts practice, Summer Bridge

11 am- Board games, outdoor play

12 pm- Lunch

1 pm- Board games, outdoor play

2 pm- Screentime with movies or tablets

4 pm- Board games, outdoor play, dinner prep

6 pm- Dinner

7 pm- Family time

Additional Ideas for Kids in Summer

In addition to the ideas and products I’ve shared, here are some more ways to avoid that summer boredom with kids! I’m sure you have your own ideas for how to spend the summer. But here are some just to get you started!

Teenagers:

Learn to drive or enroll in Driver’s Ed
Get a summer job
Practice cooking skills
Learn to sew (at least a button)
Change the oil in the car
Clean and detail a car
Take a CPR class or babysitting course
Learn and practice cleaning the house
Practice making PowerPoint presentations

Elementary School kids:

Practice simple cooking skills
Learn chores to help the family
Be able to start laundry and fold clothes
Take an art class online. YouTube has so many!
Pick 3-4 great pieces of art work, print them out on a piece of paper, and have them around for a few weeks. And you’ll be amazed at what they might discover after seeing it for a few weeks.
Do a deep clean of their rooms. Start with one area, like a certain bookshelf or storage bin, and completely organize that one spot.
Start a 100, 250, 250, or even 500 piece puzzle together.
Write a letter to a friend or relative.
Write letters or cards to nursing home residents or military personnel.

Toddlers and Preschoolers:

Finger paints.
Look at family pictures together.
I spy inside or outside.
Cloud watching and draw pictures of them.
Gather leaves and paste them in a notebook.
Watch some educational content together. Check out this post for 20 totally free educational websites!
Bath time with colored water!
Throw all of their stuffed animals somewhere unusual like in the middle of the living room floor, or even in the bathtub.
Old fashioned blocks. These were always a huge hit in my home.
Tape several pieces of paper on to the table, and let them go crazy coloring and scribbling!
Age appropriate board games like Candy Land.
Play doh – I know, I don’t do it often either. But desperate times call for desperate measures.
Simon says. Bonus points if you have older kids be Simon!
Mother May I? We love this game at our house, even though it’s so simple and quick. We play it over and over.