School years › Summer and breaks
A summer learning plan that starts with math
Keep summer light: ten minutes of math on weekdays, reading every day for fun, and the rest of summer for being a kid. Start with math, because an often-cited review found summer set students back more in math than in reading. Print the free calendar to make it a habit.
Checked October 29, 2026 against the sources listed at the end.
Why start with math
A widely cited 1996 review by Harris Cooper and colleagues looked at research on summer vacation and test scores. It found the summer break was more harmful for math than for reading, and most of all for math computation and spelling: the skills that rely on practiced facts and procedures.
Newer research questions how big summer loss really is: results from older tests haven't held up on modern ones, and modern tests don't always agree. So we don't put a number on it. The practical point stands either way. Reading for fun can carry on all summer with a library card; math practice usually only happens if someone plans it. Ten minutes a day is cheap insurance.
The plan
- Ten minutes of math, five days a week. Facts on Monday, numbers on Tuesday, a story problem on Wednesday, measuring and shapes on Thursday, a game on Friday. Our summer math calendar sets it all out by grade, to print.
- Reading every day, for fun. Whatever your child likes: comics, magazines, series, the same book again. Let them choose, and keep a book on the go.
- Reading aloud a few times a week. A chapter book above your child's level, at bedtime or in the car. Our read-aloud guide by age has ideas.
- Math out and about. Prices, tips, recipes, distances, time. Hand it over: "how much will these three cost?"
- Weekends and holidays off. Summer is for rest too. A plan your child doesn't dread is one that lasts.
What to practice, by the grade just finished
Summer is for keeping the year's work fresh, not getting ahead. The Common Core names a few skills in each grade that should become quick and automatic; they make a good summer focus.
| Grade just finished | Keep these quick | Also worth a look |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | Adding and subtracting within 5; pairs that make 10 | Counting to 100, writing numbers to 20 |
| 1st grade | Adding and subtracting within 10 | Tens and ones, telling time to the half hour |
| 2nd grade | All addition facts to 20 from memory | Three-digit numbers, money and time to five minutes |
| 3rd grade | All times tables from memory; adding and subtracting within 1,000 | Fractions on a number line, area |
| 4th grade | Adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers the standard way | Multi-digit multiplication, equivalent fractions |
| 5th grade | Multi-digit multiplication the standard way | Fractions and decimals, all four operations |
| 6th grade | Long division and decimals the standard way | Ratios, negative numbers, simple equations |
| 7th grade | Positive and negative numbers, all four operations | Percent problems, two-step equations |
| 8th grade | Solving linear equations | Functions and the Pythagorean theorem, before high school math |
Our grade pages, starting with what a 3rd grader should know, say more about each year.
Ask the teacher before summer starts
The best summer plan starts with one question in May or June: "what should my child practice over the summer?" The teacher knows which facts are shaky and which topic didn't quite land. Write the answer down and put it at the top of your calendar.
If your child gets a summer packet or a school reading list, that comes first. This plan fills the gaps around it.
Making it stick
- Same time every day, tied to something that already happens: after breakfast, before screen time.
- Put the printed calendar on the fridge and let your child tick each day.
- Keep it to ten minutes. Stopping while it's still easy is what makes tomorrow easy.
- Mix in games: cards and dice make facts feel like play.
- Notice effort: "you remembered 7 × 8 without counting".
- On trips, swap the calendar for real-life math: maps, distances, money.
Shorter breaks
Winter and spring breaks are short enough that rest matters more than practice. If you'd like something, print a two-week calendar and keep reading for fun going; that's plenty.
Questions parents ask
Should my child work ahead over the summer?
Usually it's better to strengthen this year's work than to start next year's. Next year's teacher will teach the new topics in their own way; arriving with quick facts and confidence helps more.
What about summer reading?
Reading for fun, every day, is the heart of it. Many public libraries run summer reading programs with small rewards, which some children love. Ask the school if there's a summer reading list.
Practice at your child's level
Peabody, our site for children, has free stories and learning games written at each reading level and math grade, with no sign-up. Start where your child is comfortable, not where the calendar says.
- Start reading on Peabody Peabody asks your child's grade, starts the stories a little under it, and moves the level as books run easy or hard.
- Reading levels and math by grade Where each grade starts, and a page for every level and math path.
- The free library Stories sorted by level, to read on screen.
- Decodable readers Stories built from the sounds a beginning reader has been taught.
Where this comes from
Written for parents, to use alongside your child's teacher, not instead of them. General information only, not professional, medical or legal advice. Checked on October 29, 2026. Something wrong or out of date? Write to hello@peabody.kids.