Yvonne Vincent is a relief teacher at Westbrook Primary School and has seen first-hand the effects of Summer Slide.
"You see it at any age because no matter how old you are, you need to continue practising a skill to retain it.
"It is most obvious with reading and writing, but any subject can be affected.
"A child may be reading at a particular level before school finishes, but if they haven't practised during the holidays, they come back and are reading at one or two levels lower."
Ms Vincent said continuing a child's learning during the holidays didn't have to be a chore or require extra tuition.
"It's not about making your kids feel like they are still at school, it's just about involving them in things, talking with them and asking them what they think about different situations."
Ms Vincent said her two sons, Patrick, 10, and Andrew, 8, did a range of activities during the holidays.
"Patrick is really interested in insects so he spends a lot of time outside looking for praying mantis ... both the boys are big readers too.
"Even if it's toy catalogues, they are still learning math and reading skills."
Another Rotorua mother said she did a number of activities with her four children to keep their minds active.
"We read books or articles, I get the kids to write up the grocery lists and they all play maths games online.
"Each night after dinner, the kids also write down what one good thing was about their day and one bad thing so they can practise not only their writing but how to express themselves."
Ms Vincent said engaging children at home didn't have to be costly: "You can spend $5 at the dollar store and get all sorts of things to play and learn with - even alphabet and times table charts ... In the end it's all about giving your children the opportunity to learn for themselves in a way that is fun, while complementing what they have learned at school."
Ways to prevent the "Summer Slide"
- Turn everyday activities into learning opportunities.
- Errands are an easy way to engage children in reading and math skills. Have your children help make the grocery list, go shopping with you and practise adding up the total amount.
- Get inspiration from community events and activities.
- Visit the farmers' market to learn about vegetables and teach the importance of healthy eating. Go to concerts and then ask your children to research their favourite musical instruments. Head to the nearest park or bush walk to learn about native plants and then return home and ask the kids to draw what they saw.
- Use technology to create interactive games.
- Apps and websites such as Pinterest are making educational projects easily accessible for parents to set up at home. Pinterest has an education board which is updated daily with age appropriate games and activities to keep children stimulated during the holidays. Computer games such as Minecraft also have proven educational value.
- Focus on core skills.
- Look for activities that reinforce core skills such as math and reading. Spending the day cooking or baking is one way to integrate these skills as children are required to follow a recipe and learn about cooking elements such as time, temperature and measuring ingredients.
- Plan a trip to the library.
- During the school year, core curriculum subjects require students to do in-depth research and discuss their findings with peers. Families can do similar activities throughout the summer by utilising the local library. Each family member can search for information on a chosen topic then set a time to gather and discuss the findings. Parents can make the activity into a game by voting for the family member who found the most interesting fact.
