Want to Prevent the Math Summer Slide? NWEA Learning Scientists and Math Experts Offer Tips and Activities

BOSTON, June 16, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Summer vacation is here, and while fun is on the agenda, keeping up with academic skills may not be. This means many students return to school in the fall at a slightly lower academic level than they were at the previous spring. It's a phenomenon known as "summer slide," and research suggests that math tends to be more impacted than reading.

The good news? Families don't need worksheets or formal lessons to help children maintain their math skills over the summer. NWEA, a K–12 assessment and research organization, asked its learning scientists and math experts to share some of their favorite ways to make math a natural part of everyday life over the summer.

Find Math in Story Time
Mary Resanovich, former elementary school teacher and current Principal Assessment Connections Content Designer at NWEA
Recommended for Early Learners

People often think of reading and math as completely separate subjects, but story time can be a powerful way to build early math skills. Many children's books include opportunities to count objects, compare sizes, identify patterns and shapes, solve simple problems, and talk about quantities. Even books that are not specifically about math can spark conversations that help children build mathematical thinking. Reading aloud exposes children to new vocabulary and ideas while creating opportunities to explore math concepts together. The illustrations alone can lead to discussions about counting, comparing, adding, subtracting, and problem-solving.

When reading with your child, try:

• Counting objects in illustrations
• Comparing quantities, sizes, or shapes
• Looking for patterns
• Asking children how they would solve a problem in the story
• Talking through different ways to arrive at an answer

Math through Rhymes and Music
Colleen Oppenzato, PhD, former elementary and middle school teacher and current Learning Scientist at NWEA
Recommended for Grades preK–1

Music, songs, and nursery rhymes can help young children build important math skills while having fun and spending time together.

Many popular children's songs naturally reinforce early math concepts. Nursery rhymes such as "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" and "Five Little Monkeys" help children practice counting forward and backward, while songs like "The Wheels on the Bus" introduce concepts such as "up and down" and "round and round," helping children develop an understanding of spatial relationships.

Families can build math learning into everyday routines by singing favorite songs together in the car, during playtime, or at bedtime. Repetition, rhythm, and movement all help reinforce early mathematical thinking.

Music can also be a fun way to explore cultures and languages while learning math concepts. Songs like Un elefante se balanceaba in Spanish or Un éléphant qui se balançait in French help children practice counting while introducing new languages and cultural traditions. The goal is to make math playful and engaging by connecting it to activities children already know and love.

Put Math Thinking on Paper
Ayesha Hashim, PhD, Lead Research Scientist at NWEA
Recommended for Grades 1–3

Writing matters. As young learners start to engage in more complicated math, it's important that they don't try to solve everything in their heads or rely only on counting with their fingers. At our house, I keep a math journal on the breakfast table where my first-grade son can write out his thinking and practice using addition and subtraction strategies that he is learning at school. The goal isn't perfection; it's building a routine where, when presented with a math problem, children naturally reach for paper and pencil and begin writing and organizing what they are thinking.

Families can encourage this by:

• Keeping a notebook or math journal somewhere visible and accessible
• Asking children to draw pictures or models to represent their thinking
• Asking children to explain how they arrived at an answer
• Model your thinking by writing out your own solution as an example
• Celebrating the process, not just the correct answer

Explore Fractions in the Kitchen
Jean Hampel, EdD, Learning Scientist at NWEA
Recommended for Grades 3–5

Fractions are a foundational math skill, and the kitchen is one of the easiest places to practice them. When cooking, I like to challenge children to think about different ways to measure ingredients. If a recipe calls for ¾ cup of flour, what if we only have a ½-cup and a ¼-cup measure? What if we only have a ¼-cup measure? These simple conversations help children explore equivalent fractions and develop a deeper understanding of how numbers relate to one another.

You can also:

• Discuss how measurements change when doubling a recipe
• Explore what happens when cutting a recipe in half
• Compare measurements such as ¼ cup and ½ cup
• Ask sharing questions like, "If we have three granola bars and four people, how much does each person get?"

Math becomes much more meaningful when children see it being used in real-world situations.

Math in Projects Around the House
Aaron Kugler, former elementary and middle school teacher, and current Principal Assessment Connections Content Designer at NWEA
Recommended for Grades 3-12

One of the things that summer provides in much more plentiful supply than the school year is time for hands-on exploration and play. Even high schoolers deserve and need time to explore topics of interest. Families can encourage their students to apply their interests in dedicated projects that no doubt could leverage math. Consider the following ideas for summer projects:

• Design and build a board game
• Own and operate a lemonade stand
• Learn to code simple applications
• Plan a road trip
• Plan a DIY project
• Design a scale model or mural

Each of these project ideas is ripe with mathematical application. Most involve measurement, logical reasoning, financial literacy, or opportunities to practice calculation. A student interested in making money over the summer might be encouraged to calculate their supply cost, income potential, and income-to-cost ratio. A student planning a road trip might be encouraged to use physical maps, calculate the best places to make stops each night, and outline hotel or campsite accommodations and meal budgets.

By taking simple ideas and structuring them as slightly more involved projects that help students escape the "boredom" of the everyday, mathematics learning and application can take a front seat in a lot of summer experiences.

Leverage AI as a Learning Partner
Susan Kowalski, PhD, former high school teacher and current Lead Research Scientist at NWEA
Recommended for Grades 6–12

Summer offers an opportunity for students to revisit math concepts, strengthen skills, and build confidence before returning to school in the fall. But creating personalized practice and support can be time-consuming for families.

AI tools (like math-gpt.org) can help by generating practice problems, reviewing work, and providing detailed written explanations that help students understand why a solution works – not just what the answer is. Rather than replacing teachers or tutors, AI can help families provide targeted support when students need extra practice or a different explanation.

Used thoughtfully and with adult guidance, AI can be a helpful learning partner for keeping math skills sharp over the summer.

Families can use AI to:

• Ask for step-by-step explanations of math concepts and procedures
• Generate additional practice problems on a topic that a student is learning
• Explore multiple ways to solve the same problem
• Review completed work and identify where mistakes may have occurred
• Help parents better understand the math their children are learning

As with any technology, adult guidance is important. AI works best as a tool that supports learning and encourages curiosity rather than one that simply provides answers.

Turn Game Night into Math Night
Natasha Wilson, PhD, former mathematics teacher (K-16) and current Learning Scientist at NWEA
Recommended for All Ages

One of my favorite ways to support math learning over the summer is through games. Games help children develop fact fluency, strategic thinking, problem-solving skills, and perseverance without feeling like they are "doing" mathematics. They also create natural opportunities for productive struggle and tenacity, where children learn to keep trying even when something feels challenging.

Some of my family's favorites include:

• Qwixx – develops addition skills, subitization skills, and strategic thinking
• Battleship – builds understanding of coordinates and spatial reasoning
• Set – strengthens pattern recognition and logical reasoning
• Phase 10 – encourages addition and introduces probability concepts
• Tiny Polka Dot – helps younger learners develop number sense, subitization, counting, and comparison skills

As you play, ask questions such as:

• How did you decide that?
• Why do you think that strategy worked?
• Was that move easy or difficult? Why?
• What might you do differently next time?

These conversations help children think more deeply about the mathematics embedded in the game.

Math is all around us, and summer offers countless opportunities to help children practice it in authentic ways. The goal is not to recreate school at home. Instead, experts encourage families to help children see math as a tool they already have at their disposal for understanding, navigating, and enjoying the world around them.

For more family resources and learning tips, visit https://www.nwea.org/blog/2025/engaging-with-math-at-home-at-all-ages/

About NWEA

NWEA®, a division of HMH, supports educators worldwide by providing responsive, evidence-based assessment solutions that illuminate learning needs and fuel student growth. For more than 40 years, NWEA has developed innovative pre-K–12 assessments, including its flagship assessment – MAP Growth, and professional learning that helps educators strengthen their practice and improve student outcomes. As part of its commitment to bring valuable insights to the education community, NWEA engages in research that examines issues that shed light on inequities and other barriers to academic opportunities. Visit NWEA.org to find out how NWEA partners to help all kids learn.

Contact: Simona Beattie, Communications Director, [email protected] or 971.361.9526

SOURCE NWEA