Summer break doesn’t mean pressing pause on learning. In fact, summer learning can help your child stay sharp, explore new interests, and return to school more confident. For college-bound kids, it builds habits that can shape long-term success — all while making the most of the season.

Calvin Hobbs, founding first grade teacher at KIPP Detroit Imani Academy, says, “Engagement over the summer for children is more critical now than ever before. Disengagement is a summer expectation — but it shouldn’t be.”

Instead of taking a full academic break, plan your summer as a way to reconnect with your child — and help them rediscover what makes learning joyful.

“Use the summer to rediscover who your children are after they have had 200 days of instruction,” suggests Hobbs. “Your children change every second. Every year they are more equipped, more knowledgeable, more understanding, more challenging and more empathetic. Use the summer to understand who they are as people.”

Look for learning opportunities across Oakland, Wayne, Macomb and Washtenaw counties that encourage exploration, not just academics.

Let interests lead: build learning around what they love

The secret to summer learning? Follow your child’s interests. Ask what excites them, then build from there.

Hobbs says, “Reading is the biggest education reform topic on the table. We have to get our kids to read. Any time can be ‘drop everything and read’ time — your kids know it as DEAR time.”

Connect school to real life

Help concepts stick by connecting what they learned in class to real-life interests.

“I read for pleasure. I read to learn and to understand something. I read to teach,” says Hobbs. “Reading is for everything you want to do, but we have to show them all reading isn’t the reading they may not necessarily like.”

Try this:

“When kids talk about how much they love Batman and Spiderman, I cultivate that interest through reading,” Hobbs adds. “Not toys, but books. That pushes them to learn how to read because they want to read the content of the people they like.”

Confidence grows with summer learning

Keeping skills fresh over the summer supports confidence, especially as kids enter middle school.

May Manna-Denha, Literacy Coach Consultant at Macomb Intermediate School District, says, “Self-esteem is critical for kids today, especially.”

Summer learning doesn’t have to be formal. Use everyday moments in your community to engage your child’s mind.

Set the stage for the future

Even young kids can begin to dream big — and parents can help by keeping learning alive all year long.

“Setting up a mentor for your child early in the high school years can help guide and support them along the way,” says Manna-Denha.

Content sponsored by Michigan Education Savings Program. Learn more at MIsaves.com. Find more articles like this at Metro Parent’s Making Your Child’s College Dreams Come True.