Should kids at least do a little bit of school work over the holidays?

By Sarah Jefferson, Senior Lecturer in Education, Edith Cowan University

As the summer holidays begin, parents may feel concerned their children will “forget how to spell their own names” during the long school break.

Or there may be worries about forgetting times tables, slipping reading levels and generally falling behind. Parents may wonder if it’s better to maintain some kind of academic routine during the break.

The short answer: a light touch is plenty.

‘Summer learning loss’

Researchers have studied the idea school students have some degree of “summer learning loss” for more…

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