Tips for Homeschooling for Summer School

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Thinking of homeschooling for summer school or wondering if you should homeschool year around, including summer homeschool?

Whether you’re looking to catch up when behind in homeschool, have your kids skip a grade, or you’re worried about the dreaded summer slide, these helpful home school tips will answer your questions about summer schooling and if you need to school for summer homeschool at all.

Helpful Tips for Homeschooling for Summer School

You may have landed here because you have a homeschool high school student that you need to catch up fast in school work for graduation.

Or, maybe you’re here because you’ve heard so many people talk about summer slide and how kids lose knowledge over summer break without any learning activities.

Or, maybe you’re new to home school and are wondering can you do homeschool during the summer and all year.

No matter your reason, I’ll cover tips for homeschool summer school.

 

 

Let’s start with a question I get a lot when talking to people starting homeschool:

Do homeschoolers get summer break?

If you’re wondering Do homeschoolers have summer break? the answer is maybe!

Homeschooling summer break is generally up to the family.

Some homeschool families school all year, while others may follow the traditional school year for their area, where homeschoolers get a summer break during the same time as public schools.

It will also depend on if you’re taking courses and classes outside your home or with a homeschool co-op. For that, check schedules before signing up.

 

 

Can you homeschool in the summer?

The great news about homeschool is that you can homeschool whenever you want, including during the summer!

You just need to be sure that you are meeting your state (or country’s) requirements for homeschooling and following the laws for your area.

For example, some states may require that you have X number of homeschool days within a certain amount of time / dates. Be sure that your summer school dates are falling within the requirements for your area.

LEARN MORE ABOUT HOMESCHOOLING LAWS IN THIS POST

 

Can you homeschool an entire grade over the summer?

Homeschooling an entire grade over the summer would be difficult, but could be done, if needed.

Cramming an entire grade in over the summer is not something I would recommend because it’s stressful and you’ll probably be missing some coursework requirements.

You could use the summer to catch up if you are behind or to get a jump-start on the requirements for the upcoming year.

Some homeschoolers home school the entire year, with a more relaxed homeschool daily schedule in the summer. (That’s what we do!)

TIP: Check into Easy Peasy High School if you’re homeschooling high school or need a free printable homeschool curriculum. You can also search online summer school.

 

Should I homeschool summer school?

In the United States, it is not required to home school during the summer. U.S. families get the choice on how and when to homeschool their own children, within their state laws. 

Some families (like us) find it helpful to homeschool year ’round, including during the summer.

We do it because we like taking additional time off around the holidays and also because my daughter always finds fun classes to take in the summer.

Our summer schooling is what I called “homeschool light” in the summer, without a full schedule and without difficult topics.

Summer school for homeschool is a good idea if you transitioned your child from traditional school and they are far behind, need extra skill-sharpening, or if you feel like you have fallen behind in your state or country’s requirements for your grade level.

There are alternate homeschool summer school ideas where your child will learn (without even knowing) and get a break! CHECK THEM OUT HERE!

 

Is the Summer Slide Real?

What does summer slide mean?

What is summer slide (and is it really a thing)?

A summer slide definition, also called summer brain drain, summer learning loss, and summer setback, is when a child forgets or has skills that “slide” a little when they are out of school and not getting regular practice.

Many believe that this especially happens during the summer with reading and math.

According to Northwest Evaluation Association (also known as MAP testing):

In NWEA’s research, summer learning loss was observed in math and reading across third to eighth grade, with students losing a greater proportion of their school year gains each year as they grow older – anywhere from 20 to 50 percent.

However, in recent years there has been a lot doubt cast on the summer slide theory due to outdated data that has not been able to easily replicate. 

From Edutopia:

…according to Paul T. von Hippel, a policy professor at the University of Texas at Austin, there are flaws with the research on summer learning loss that should make us question the universal truth of summer slide.

As you can see, summer slide is a controversial topic.

Personally, for us, I have not experienced summer slide with my student in the 12 years I homeschooled.

But, you’ll definitely need to do more research and determine if you believe it’s affecting your child.

Bottom line?

According to Michigan State University, “The key is a healthy balance and finding activities your kids enjoy while sneaking in an educational component at the same time. Hands-on learning is brains-on learning.”

 

So, is summer school bad or good for kids?

Closing Thoughts About Summer Schooling for Homeschool

Is summer school a good idea?

Summer school or homeschool summer school is a good idea if you think your child is behind and they need to catch up fast, if you want your student to be a little ahead for the next year, or if your children really enjoy learning.

It’s a great time to focus specifically on one unit study topic.

If you want a way for your child to learn in the summer, there are better (and more fun!) ways to accomplish summer “school” for summertime activities. Check out our list!

Just like us, kids need a break from regular schedules, too! So if you don’t have to homeschool, just do some other fun things during the summer.

 

I hope this helped you with homeschooling for summer school!

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