It’s that time of year again: time to sharpen pencils, pack the backpacks, and start up the school morning routine. The school supply checklist is complete, but what about your kids’ knowledge and skills? When students begin a new school year, many find they’ve gotten rusty in key academic skills. In fact, research shows that during summer break, students on average lose about 10% of their previous school year’s learning gains in reading, and approximately 30% in math. 

How can parents help their kids refresh their learning for a smoother transition back to school? Whether at home or on the go, playful learning with Kahoot! can inspire kids to flex their learning muscles and sharpen their knowledge, all while having fun!

Motivate kids to dive back into learning with playful Kahoot! experiences

Getting kids to refocus on learning after summer vacation can seem daunting, which is why a playful approach is key! By embedding educational content within a playful experience kids enjoy—such as kahoots—parents can create camouflage learning, a strategy educators also use in the classroom. These experiences naturally engage kids with friendly competition and fun, allowing them to focus on the excitement of the game while their minds light up with the learning challenge.

And when kids are fully engaged, the learning sticks. As a recent study by Professor Osman Ödemir shows, students are significantly more likely to remember what they learned when they use Kahoot!

Help your kids build strong habits for learning 

For many families, one of the biggest challenges of back-to-school season is the change in routine. Helping your kids develop strong habits for learning can ease this transition into a new school year. When kids regularly explore new topics, test their knowledge, and practice key skills, it’s much easier for them to get back into the swing of learning in the classroom.

To reignite your kids’ curiosity, start by inviting them to investigate topics they’re interested in and put their knowledge to the test. You can also create personalized kahoots on your kids’ favorite topics—or topics they should review—in seconds with Kahoot!’s AI tools. Or, kids can create their own kahoot game or presentation to teach others, reinforcing their own knowledge along the way!

If your kids have their own learning goals for the new school year, Kahoot!’s solo and self-study modes are a great way to practice and grow skills independently. To bring even more joy to learning, try the new Kahoot! study buddies.

Refresh math and reading skills for school year success

With research showing the biggest summer learning loss for math skills, it’s especially important to give kids fun ways to review math concepts and sharpen their skills so they’re ready for their next classroom lessons. Children can explore math concepts from multiplication and fractions to algebra and geometry through interactive games with our math apps by DragonBox, included with Kahoot! Kids. Also, they can play fun math games like Wash-Wash Operations, Snoopy Fractions, and others—free to try on the Kahoot! app or in your browser. These games help kids develop a deep, intuitive grasp of math, while having a blast playing!

To help your kids build foundational reading skills, discover Kahoot!’s Learn to Read app by Poio, also available with Kahoot! Kids. Once your kids’ interest in reading is sparked, nurture this by reading together or encouraging them to choose their own books. By fostering a love of reading through play and exploration, parents can help kids feel more open to required reading at school.

With limitless opportunities for playful learning at your fingertips, your kids can rediscover the joy of learning while brushing up on what they learned last year. They can even get a head start on this year’s topics to help them begin the new school year with confidence.

Get your kids ready for their next learning adventure with Kahoot!+ today!