Ditch the Worksheets: Summer Learning That Sticks

Teachers spend an average of four to eight weeks every fall reviewing and reteaching material that students have forgotten during the long summer break. Many students lose the equivalent of one to two months of reading and math skills during the summer. We all want to avoid that "summer slide," but you don’t need to turn your summer into a homeschool bootcamp to help your child grow. In fact, when you’re raising a child with ADHD or anxiety, all that pressure often backfires. Cue the power struggles, shutdowns, and nagging that leave everyone frustrated and fried by July.

But here’s the truth: learning doesn’t stop just because school does. And it doesn’t have to look like worksheets, textbooks, conflict, and stress.

Why Summer Feels So Hard

If your child is suddenly more dysregulated, more oppositional, or more emotional since school ended — it’s not just “summer laziness.” It’s a fundamental shift. Kids with ADHD thrive on routine and structure. Kids with anxiety crave predictability. Summer takes both of those away… and sometimes our kids (and honestly, us too) flounder without it.

That tug-of-war between your desire for structure and their need for rest is real. But instead of forcing academic work or throwing in the towel, what if we did something different?

Sample Summer Structure That Works

Kids with ADHD often struggle with executive functioning — planning, starting, prioritizing. Anxious kids tend to avoid what feels hard or unfamiliar. So “go do something productive” is often just too vague. What helps instead:

✅ Predictable rhythm

✅ Built-in choices

✅ Activities that feel fun, useful, or self-directed

✅ Opportunities to feel successful

4 Low-Pressure ways To Build Skills

1. Interest-Led Learning Instead of dragging them through a workbook, follow their interests. Is your child into bugs? Start a bug journal. Obsessed with trains? Build a model or visit a local railway museum. Into Minecraft? Turn it into math problems or introduce coding.

🧠 Dopamine boost: ADHD brains latch on to what’s novel or interesting. Lean into it.

2. Tiny, Manageable Routines

Summer doesn’t need a full schedule — just a gentle rhythm. Maybe it’s:

• Wake up

• Breakfast

• 20 minutes of “brain time”

• Free play

• Lunch

• Outdoor time

This gives their day shape without rigidity. And it keeps transitions smoother, which helps everyone stay calmer.

💡 Anxiety tip: Knowing what to expect eases stress and increases cooperation.

3. Make It Real-Life (and Actually Useful)

This is where the magic happens. Instead of forced “learning time,” sneak skills into real life:

• Outdoor survival skill camp = Problem solving, teamwork, resilience

• Build and tend a garden = Science, patience, responsibility

• Plan a backyard BBQ = Budgeting, shopping, sequencing, math

• Daily cooking project = Following directions, executive functioning, confidence

• Organize a garage sale = Social interaction, math, communication

These are the real skills kids need — and they often love being trusted with “grown-up” responsibilities.

4. Celebrate the Wins (Even the Tiny Ones)

Caught your child putting their plate away without a reminder? That’s a win. Took a breath instead of yelling at a sibling? Huge. Kids with ADHD and anxiety often carry an invisible backpack of shame. They need to hear when we notice the good.

🌱 Confidence tip: Success leads to more effort. Shame shuts it down.

What This Season Can Be

Summer is an invitation: to slow down, reconnect, and focus on growth beyond academics.

Our job isn’t just to make sure they stay “on grade level.” It’s to help them feel:

• Capable (even with challenges)

• Confident (even after mistakes)

• Connected (to us, their own strengths, and the world around them)

  
  

Life skills like trying something new, handling a setback, learning to collaborate — those are the building blocks for real resilience. And they happen best in everyday moments.

So let go of the pressure to make summer “productive.” Focus instead on making it meaningful.