Online Learning Options for Children Over the Summer

For children, summertime is that much-needed break to rest and relax after a busy school year. As a parent, you may begin to wonder if your child should spend all three months of summer break at the pool or at home just playing and lounging. Studies have shown that academic learning loss over the summer, known as the summer slide, occurs in students when they don’t maintain some sort of academic rigor over the summer

Understandably, the prospect of your child having to physically attend school over the summer may sound undesirable to both your child and you. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of flexible online options for students of all ages and that bring the opportunity of learning straight to your home. Check out what’s available for your child this summer:

Enroll in a high school course

EdOptions Academy, Edmentum’s fully-accredited virtual school, offers over 400 courses for high school students including Advanced Placement^® prep classes, World Languages, career and technical education options, as well as core subjects. EdOptions Academy courses can help your student explore an interest, take a course not offered at their middle or high school, prepare for a specific college or career track, or potentially even earn credit needed towards high school graduation.*

EdOptions Academy enrolls students on a rolling basis, meaning that applications are accepted at any time throughout the year, and students can begin their course at a time that is convenient for them. Once a student has enrolled, they have 18 weeks to complete each course at their own pace, and summer school can last from 4-9 weeks. Students receive plenty of support along the way. EdOptions Academy teachers are highly-qualified, certified in your state, and receive specific training on teaching in an online environment. Teachers provide feedback on all assignments within 24 hours of submission, make building relationships with each student a priority, and regularly communicate via email, phone calls, text or chat, or one-on-one online tutoring sessions. Enrolling in an EdOptions Academy course can be a great option to infuse lots of learning in to your student’s summer, with the flexibility to work around plenty of fun.

Check out EdOptions Academy Parent Resources and FAQ

Get 30 minutes of online practice a week to maintain learning

If you want to have your child maintain some sort of academic rigor but do not feel the need for him or her to complete an extra course over the summer, finding an online curriculum that can provide rigorous content for your child to work through, even for a short period of time during the day, can go a long way in offsetting summer learning loss.

A little summer learning can go a long way. Studies show that targeted, focused practice for just 15 minutes a day, two days a week can result in significant academic growth. Study Island for Home not only includes thousands of questions across all core subjects for students in grades K-12 to engage in personalized practice, but it also features curricula specifically built around your state’s standards. Students can practice at home, knowing that what they are learning is the same as what they will encounter in the classroom.

Summer practice can also be a great opportunity to help your child get ahead in his or her learning. With Study Island for Home, students can be encouraged to build new and advanced skills through custom rewards and prizes for completing challenges that parents can set up within the platform. Practice with Study Island for Home is a great way to quickly infuse a little bit of learning in any summer day—plus, it’s fun!

Get a Free 10-Day Trial Study Island for Home

Develop critical reading skills!

Finally, if your child is just beginning their academic journey, Edmentum offers a two-in-one solution, Reading Eggs and Reading Eggspress, for children pre-K– through grade 6. Reading Eggs helps your child learn to read using characters, songs, and animations to make reading fun. He or she can navigate through a friendly online world, developing letters and sounds, building vocabulary, and even reading their first books all while collecting Golden Eggs they can redeem for games and digital prizes. Reading Eggspress then builds on that love for reading by focusing on developing reading fluency and fundamental comprehension skills that will enable them to read to learn—no matter what the subject is!

Learning doesn’t have to stop just because it’s summer—it can even be a great time to get ahead! Interested in learning more about Edmentum’s at Home products? Check out all of our options for students in grades K-12 below:

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 *Note: Students who sign up for EdOptions Academy and want their course credits to apply to their high school diploma need to work with the school district that they are currently enrolled in to confirm that the credits can transfer. Be sure to ask your student’s administrators if they are one of the more than 400 schools and districts already partnering with EdOptions Academy for virtual courses.