These Are the Educational Resources Savvy Parents Use to Prevent the Summer Slide

While summer break should be exactly that — a break — it doesn’t have to mean the end of learning. All kids can benefit from integrated education through the summer months to prevent the pesky loss of math facts or reading progress. 

The best part? Kids won’t even notice that you’re sneaking in education if you choose the right tools. We’ve rounded up the best sneaky summer learning resources designed as fun to help parents make that happen. From adaptive practice platforms to hands-on printables and live tutoring, these are the sites worth bookmarking before school lets out.

Start with Summer Success

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IXL
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IXL provides an easy-to-use subscription-based K through 12 learning platform that includes 1,300 videos and lessons and 120 games in core subjects like math, language arts, science, social studies, and Spanish. The platform is fun, colorful, and easy to use, and it can track and analyze your child’s progress with recommendations for further learning. IXL will adjust in real time as your child learns, syncing up to your child’s skill level, introducing new challenges, and identifying any learning gaps as they go. Not only will your child enjoy using the platform, but studies show that students who use IXL consistently score higher on tests. They’ll be more than ready when fall hits! And log on now to get 25% off your subscription for a full year of support in all core subjects (math, language arts, science, and social studies).

Get Ready with Rosetta Stone

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You may have heard of Rosetta Stone, but we promise: Rosetta has been refreshed and is cooler than ever. Choose a learning path that suits your learning style, like flashcards, tutoring, or “chat missions”. Before you know it, bite-sized pieces of education become the foundation for learning a whole new way of speaking. The cool thing is, you can do a Rosetta Stone program along with your child. And who knows? Maybe you’ll need to plan a vacation somewhere to try out your new language skills together.

Right now, learn any of the 25 languages Rosetta Stone offers for just $127.20 for their 12-month plan (that’s a savings of almost 35% from paying month-to-month!).

Learn from the Best

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Education.com was made for educators by educators, making it one of the best resources available, but that doesn’t mean that it’s locked away for teachers’ use only. Instead, anyone can get access to professionally designed and intentional educational resources. The online learning platform for PreK through 8 with 40,000+ resources, including my personal favorite, printable worksheets. Choose from a free account that gives you access to worksheets, lesson plans, games, and educational activities, or a paid premium subscription for full access to all resources. The premium subscription is 55% off right now, so you can make the most of the summer and not stress the price.

I have personally used Education.com countless times for my own children during downtime from school, and it never misses. I love that you can always browse the free resources and only pay if you find a tool you need.

Find an Online Tutor

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Listen, we get it: Just because the kids are out of school and enjoying a summer vacation doesn’t magically mean you are too, right? You may not have hours to devote to your child’s educational needs over the summer, but Wyzant can help by connecting your student to an online tutor. You choose the subject matter in which your child needs additional support (they have over 300 subjects!), you are matched with a tutor, and you can set the pace and schedule to meet your child’s needs. The first hour of tutoring is guaranteed free, so you can ensure you find a tutor that’s an ideal match for your child. After you find a tutor match, pay-as-you-go for each session, no subscription required. Online tutoring sessions are an option, of course, but depending on location and availability, they also have in-person tutoring available.

You can even get $5 off your first lesson from any Wyzant tutor by clicking here. Simply click on “claim coupon,” then create an account and add a payment method. The credit will appear in your account automatically.

Advance with ABCya

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Instead of having your kid clamor to play games on your phone all summer long, set them up for success with their own educational games through ABCya, an online learning platform that offers free new games every week. Specifically designed for the preK through 6th grade crowd, the games are all designed by teachers and help kids build math, reading, and literacy skills, all while having fun. There are more than 400 total games, with new options released each week. You will find plenty of free fun available, but you can also subscribe for unlimited access and bonus features. Try ABCya Premium for just $9.99 per month!

Combat the Summer Slide with Carson Dellosa

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As a parent, you want your child to enjoy their summer and have some well-deserved time off, but you also want to prepare them to do their best academically. Fortunately, that’s where Carson Dellosa comes in, with guided resources that can fully combat the summer slide in 15 minutes or less per day. Talk about the best of both worlds! The platform offers over 5,000 educator-designed products, including workbooks, flashcards, colorful educational posters, and other hands-on learning tools. Plus, there is an entire section of free resources, which is always helpful for a rainy day or supplementing your child’s base summer learning. And right now until the end of July, the site is running a Virtual Summer Warehouse Sale, with items as low as 25¢; plus, get 15% off your order with code 15OFF.