The July–September school holiday is one of the longest breaks of the year. Children need rest — but two months of complete inactivity can erode months of careful learning. Here is how to find the right balance.
Research on learning retention consistently shows that without any review, children forget up to 40% of what they learned in the previous term within the first few weeks of a long break. This is sometimes called the "summer slide" — or in the Cameroonian context, the "holiday dip." It is real, and it disproportionately affects children in lower primary who are still building foundational skills in reading and mathematics.
The good news: you do not need to run a second school term at home. Small, consistent habits are enough to maintain and even improve on what your child achieved.
The 15-minute daily review rule
Fifteen minutes a day is enough to keep knowledge fresh. That is one short exercise book page of arithmetic, or reading three pages of a story book aloud, or practising spelling ten words from last term's list. The key is consistency — every day, even on weekends — rather than long cramming sessions twice a week.
Keep the materials from the end of the last term. Use the exercise books to pick topics for the day's review. You do not need to buy new workbooks — what your child already has is the right starting point.
Reading: make it genuinely enjoyable
The single most effective thing a parent can do during the holiday is to get their child reading for pleasure. A child who reads freely during the holiday comes back to school with a wider vocabulary, stronger comprehension, and — crucially — a better attention span.
The book does not have to be academic. Stories, comics, simple magazines, Bible stories, Cameroonian folk tale collections — anything the child genuinely wants to read counts. The goal is to keep the habit of reading alive, not to complete a reading list.
For bilingual learners: alternate the language of reading day by day. Monday in English, Tuesday in French. This is one of the easiest ways to keep both languages active without any formal instruction.
Mathematics without making it feel like school
Mathematics is the subject most vulnerable to the holiday dip, and the one parents feel least confident teaching. The approach that works best involves daily life rather than exercise books:
- Shopping at the market — let your child handle the money and calculate change
- Cooking — measuring ingredients, doubling a recipe, dividing food portions
- Counting in two languages: "How do you say 47 in French? In English?"
- Simple mental arithmetic challenges at the dinner table: times tables, addition chains
These activities build number sense, which is exactly what formal mathematics is built on.
Bilingual practice: switch languages by day
For children at Rainbow's bilingual schools, the holiday is the right time to strengthen the weaker language. If your child is more comfortable in French, make Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays English days — conversations, stories and games in English only. The language flip is fun for children when presented as a challenge rather than an obligation.
Physical activity and the brain
Exercise is not separate from learning — it actively supports it. Physical activity increases blood flow to the frontal cortex, improves mood and sleep quality, and has been shown to improve memory retention. Children who are physically active during holidays return to school with sharper concentration than those who spent the break sedentary.
This does not require organised sport. Walking, play, traditional games, helping with physical tasks around the home — all of this counts. The goal is to avoid prolonged periods of inactivity combined with screen time.
Screen time: set a daily ceiling
Phones and television are the primary holiday challenge for every parent. A practical approach: agree on a screen time ceiling at the start of the holiday (for example, one hour per day for primary-age children, two hours for secondary), and keep it consistent. Children adapt quickly to a rule that is set at the beginning rather than contested each day.
Use screen time as a reward that follows the day's short reading or review session — not as the default activity. This structure works reliably for most families.
A simple weekly holiday schedule
You do not need to fill every hour. A loose weekly structure is enough to prevent complete drift:
- Morning (7–9 AM): household responsibilities, morning routine
- Mid-morning (9–9:15 AM): 15-minute daily review (reading or maths)
- Rest of morning: free play, creative activities, helping at home
- Afternoon: physical activity, errands, visits
- Evening: family time, reading before bed (no screens for 30 min before sleep)
This is not a school timetable — it is simply a framework that prevents the long unstructured days that lead to screen addiction and complete disengagement from learning.
One thing to avoid
Do not tell your child the holiday is for "doing nothing." Children take instructions literally. Tell them the holiday is for rest, play and reading — three things that are all genuinely enjoyable and all genuinely beneficial.