Beat the Summer Slide With a Drawing Habit
The summer slide is real, but drawing can help. Learn how a summer drawing habit keeps kids' fine motor, reading and thinking skills active over break.
A regular summer drawing habit can help reduce the summer slide by keeping kids' hands, eyes and brains active. Drawing practises fine motor skills, observation, sequencing and storytelling, and it pairs naturally with summer reading and nature exploring.
The summer slide is the learning loss some children experience over long breaks. Kids may come back to school with weaker skills than they left with. Short, regular learning activities help, and drawing is one of the most enjoyable.
What drawing keeps active
- Fine motor skills for handwriting
- Observation for science
- Sequencing for reading and math
- Storytelling for writing
- Focus for classroom work
A summer drawing plan
- Daily: 10 to 15 minutes of drawing.
- Weekly: one bigger project (comic, map, journal page).
- Pair with reading: draw a scene from a summer book.
- Pair with outings: draw something from each trip.
Ocean summer theme
Summer is a perfect time for ocean drawing. How to Draw: Fish, Sea Creatures, and More fits beach trips, aquarium visits and pool days. Draw a sea creature, then look up a fun fact about it and write it underneath. That is drawing, reading and science in one.
Summer drawing challenges
- 30-day challenge. One drawing a day for a month.
- Summer bingo. Draw items from a summer bingo card.
- Nature journal. Draw plants and bugs from the yard or park.
- Postcard drawings. Draw postcards to send to friends.
Keep it fun
Summer learning should not feel like school. Keep drawing optional, playful and child-led. For a journaling idea, see summer vacation drawing journal.
Questions parents ask
What is the summer slide?
The summer slide is the loss of academic skills some children experience during long summer breaks.
Can drawing help prevent the summer slide?
Drawing keeps fine motor, observation, sequencing and storytelling skills active, especially when paired with reading.
How much should kids draw over the summer?
Ten to fifteen minutes a day, plus an occasional bigger project, is a great balance.
More in home routines and screen time, or browse all 217 posts on the blog.
Keep reading
- A Five-Minute Morning Drawing RoutineA five-minute morning drawing routine can calm rushed mornings and wake up kids' brains. Here's how to fit it in, plus quick drawing ideas.
- The Only Drawing Supplies Kids Really NeedKids don't need expensive art supplies to draw well. Here's the short list of drawing supplies kids actually need, by age, and what to skip.
- Displaying Kids' Art at Home (and Why It Matters)Displaying kids' art tells them their work matters. Try these easy, clutter-free ways to show off drawings at home, and why it boosts confidence.
- Snow Day Drawing Ideas for KidsSchool's canceled for snow! These snow day drawing ideas keep kids busy indoors: snowy scenes, winter animals, snowman designs and cozy drawing games.
