The school year is ending, English classes are stopping—and with them, often, all the vocabulary acquired during the year. Teachers know it well: "summer learning loss" is real. Good news: it doesn't take much to keep English alive this summer, without turning holidays into private lessons.
1. The golden rule: pleasure first
Summer is for resting. If your child associates English with work during the holidays, you risk creating a lasting aversion. The goal is not to progress—it's to not fall behind. And for that, 15 to 20 minutes of enjoyable exposure per day is more than enough.
2. Movies and series in original version
This is the simplest and most effective strategy. Take your child's favorite movies and switch them to English. Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks—all available in original version on streaming platforms.
Tip: start with movies they already know by heart in French. They understand the story, so they can focus on the language without frustration.
3. Illustrated books and comics in English
Summer is the ideal time to introduce reading in English—without academic pressure. A few ideas depending on age:
- 3-5 years: Dear Zoo, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Brown Bear Brown Bear
- 5-7 years: Elephant and Piggie (Mo Willems), Dog Man (first levels)
- 7-10 years: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Captain Underpants
Read together in the evening—even if your pronunciation isn't perfect, exposure matters.
4. Bilingual games—the secret weapon for summer
Holidays are the perfect time to bring out board games. A bilingual memory game like MEMORA fits naturally into family evenings, rainy afternoons, and meals at grandparents' houses.
The child revises their English vocabulary without realizing it—because they are playing, not working.
5. English activities
- English sports camps : many cities offer sports, theater, or art camps run in English during the summer.
- Language immersion camps : from 8-10 years old, a week in an English-speaking camp makes spectacular progress.
- Exchanges with English-speaking children : if you have friends or family in an English-speaking country, encourage video calls.
6. Music in English
Create a summer English playlist for your child. Songs they like, in their preferred style. Music is one of the most powerful vectors for memorizing vocabulary and language intonation—and it goes everywhere: in the car, at the beach, in their room.
7. Apps—in moderation
Duolingo Kids, Lingokids—they can be useful for maintaining a short daily routine (5-10 minutes). But don't let them replace human interactions and physical games, which anchor language much more durably.
8. A realistic summer schedule
| Frequency | Activity |
|---|---|
| Every day | 1 song or nursery rhyme in English |
| 3x per week | 20 min of movie/series in original version |
| 1x per week | MEMORA or bilingual family game |
| 1x per week | Illustrated book in English in the evening |
Total: less than 30 minutes a day. Zero stress. Zero regression.
Conclusion
Maintaining English over the summer doesn't require sacrificing holidays. It's enough to integrate the language into activities your child already enjoys—movies, music, games. Come September, while other children are catching up on what they've forgotten, yours will be ready to move forward. 🎴
MEMORA French-English—the ideal bilingual memory game to maintain English during the holidays, with family, from age 3. 👉 [See MEMORA on wordbridgeco.com]
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