What Is the Summer Slide?
The summer slide, also known as “summer learning loss”, refers to the well-documented phenomenon in which children lose academic skills and cognitive momentum during extended breaks from school—most notably over the summer. It is one of the most studied and persistent challenges in education, with consequences that can affect a child’s trajectory well into adolescence and adulthood.
Without the daily structure and stimulation provided by school routines, children are at risk of losing valuable ground in core areas such as literacy, numeracy, executive function, and emotional regulation. The result is a cycle of progress and regression that makes each school year start with a costly period of re-learning—rather than building on previous gains.
Summer learning loss has been tracked for decades. One of the most cited studies comes from Cooper et al. (1996), which conducted a meta-analysis of 39 studies on summer learning loss. Their findings showed that, on average:
- Students lose approximately two months of reading achievement over summer break.
- Students lose more than two and a half months of math skills—with math loss typically steeper than reading loss.
- The effects are cumulative: students who experience summer slide repeatedly fall progressively further behind, widening the achievement gap year after year.
Another longitudinal study conducted by Alexander, Entwisle, and Olson (2007) followed Baltimore students for over 20 years. They found that two-thirds of the ninth-grade reading achievement gap could be attributed to differences in summer learning experiences. The gap did not stem from differences in school-year learning, but from what happened (or didn’t happen) during the summers.
These effects are especially pronounced for students who already face challenges in attention, regulation, motor control, or academic confidence. For them, the absence of consistent input over the summer can trigger not only academic loss, but behavioral and emotional regression as well.
Common signs of summer slide include:
- Loss of reading fluency and comprehension
- Decreased math accuracy and problem-solving ability
- Shortened attention span and difficulty focusing on sustained tasks
- Reduced self-regulation, resulting in more impulsive or emotionally volatile behavior
- Disorganization and trouble initiating or completing tasks when school resumes
- Lower academic confidence and motivation
But it’s important to understand that the summer slide is not just about academics. At its core, it is a neurological maintenance issue.
The brain is an adaptive organ. It is constantly remodeling itself in response to experience. Learning is not just about acquiring information—it is about maintaining the neural circuits that make information processing, attention, and executive function possible.
During the school year, children who have a disorganized brain usually develop ways to compensate for the parts of their brains that are not fully developed. These compensations can come naturally, or they can come as learning strategies, therapies, after-school programs, etc.
When that consistent activation disappears—as it often does during summer—many children’s nervous systems lose their compensations. Primitive reflexes may become more active. Sensory systems may drift out of alignment. Posture and coordination may decline. Emotional regulation may weaken.
This is not because children are lazy, unmotivated, or undisciplined. It is because the brain has been working so much harder than it needs to in order to stay afloat in school.
Neuroscientist Dr. Carla Hannaford, author of Smart Moves, explains this process well. In her work, she shows that movement and learning are inseparable—and that cross-lateral, rhythmic movement is essential for keeping the brain integrated and regulated. When children become sedentary or overstimulated by passive inputs (screens, for example), their brain-body systems drift into disorganization.
In short: summer regression is not just a matter of “forgetting facts.” It is a matter of losing neurological organization.
This is why academic review alone—summer reading programs, math tutoring, or computer-based learning apps—is not enough to prevent the summer slide. These interventions work at the cognitive level. But the real engine of learning and regulation lies below cognition—in the brainstem, the sensory systems, and the movement patterns that support executive function.
When these systems are not maintained and strengthened over the summer, children return to school less regulated, less coordinated, and less neurologically organized, which makes academic learning more difficult, even if the child has reviewed the material.
The solution is not more worksheets. It is not longer tutoring sessions. The solution is neurological nourishment—consistent, targeted movements that keep the brain’s foundational systems tuned and ready.
This is exactly what In the Cortex provides.
In the Cortex offers a unique, movement-based approach to brain reorganization. Rather than focusing on academic content, it works from the bottom up—strengthening the systems that make learning, attention, and regulation possible.
By integrating primitive reflexes, developing the primitive brain, and reprogramming limiting subconscious beliefs, In the Cortex gives children the exact kind of input their brains crave—and that they miss—during summer break.
By using In the Cortex consistently over the summer, families provide their children with the kind of deep, systemic input that protects against regression—and builds capacity for new growth.
Rather than starting the new school year with depleted attention, weaker posture, and reduced regulation, children who engage in In the Cortex return to school:
- More focused and able to sustain attention
- Better regulated emotionally
- More coordinated and confident in movement
- With stronger visual-motor integration for reading and writing
- Ready to take on new learning with a brain-body system that is truly organized and resilient
In this way, In the Cortex does more than beat the summer slide. It builds the neurological foundation for lifelong learning and success.
Why Typical Summer Programs Aren’t Enough
Parents often enroll their kids in summer reading clubs, tutoring, or academic camps to combat the summer slide. While these programs can help with content review, they typically use top-down strategies—focusing on skills and behaviors rather than the neurological foundation of learning and attention.
Here’s the problem: if your child is struggling with regulation, focus, sensory integration, or retained reflexes, piling on more cognitive tasks won’t create lasting change. It may even increase frustration, fatigue, or resistance.
To truly prevent regression—and to help children return to school stronger—we need to address the root systems that support learning:
- A well-regulated nervous system
- An integrated sensory-motor foundation
- Balanced hemispheric development
- Mature primitive reflexes
- Coherent body awareness and coordination
That’s where In the Cortex offers a unique advantage.
Why the Summer Slide Is a Brain Organization Issue
Learning loss isn’t random. It’s the result of how the brain adapts to its environment. During the school year, children are expected to:
- Participate in daily life activities
- Socialize with family, friends, classmates, etc.
- Perform academically according to their grade
- Regulate their emotions according to their age
- Follow directions and meet expectations at home
- Participate in after-school and at-home activities
So, in order to meet all these expectations – or try to meet them – the brain figures out all sorts of compensations. Often, these compensations come from different types of scaffolding that the brain has figured out on its own or strategies from after-school programs, tutoring, in-school strategies, and many other sources. This is why a lot of the skills where parents see regressions in these kids are splinter skills.
This is where many approaches focus on the what: the specific skill the child is expected to achieve or improve instead of thinking about how they’re accomplishing it (does it have a foundation or is it a compensation?) and why it’s hard for them in the first place (is their brain disorganized and keeping them from accomplishing these skills efficiently?)
The moment the expectations shift and the supports are removed, the slide begins. This is often a sign that the primitive parts of the brain are not able to do their jobs to support the higher centers in theirs.
Why In the Cortex Is the Ideal Summer Program
In the Cortex is designed to provide the exact kind of neurological nourishment that children need during summer break—and beyond.
Rather than focusing on academic content, In the Cortex works from the bottom up, strengthening the systems that make academic and behavioral success possible:
- Reflex Integration: Targeted movement sequences help mature primitive reflexes, improving attention, posture, and regulation.
- Vestibular and Proprioceptive Activation: Stimulation and development of these systems which map the body and orient us in space.
- Primitive Brain Development: Giving the pons and the midbrain the movements they need shifts the brain out of fight/flight or freeze states and into calm, alert engagement.
- Reprogramming Subconscious Beliefs: Removing the subconscious blocks that are affecting children’s confidence, self-assurance, and motivation.
This is not about “keeping kids busy.” It’s about providing daily input that helps them:
- Stay regulated
- Maintain and improve focus
- Build stronger sensory and motor pathways
- Improve core strength and coordination
- Return to school with better readiness for learning
By building these capacities during the summer, In the Cortex helps children gain ground instead of losing it—turning summer from a time of regression into a time of deep neurological growth.
Why Bottom-Up Work Creates Gains That Last
Top-down academic review helps children practice what they already know. But it doesn’t change the systems that allow for new learning or deeper retention.
In contrast, bottom-up work like In the Cortex strengthens the actual hardware of learning:
- A better-organized body map improves handwriting, reading, and visual tracking.
- Stronger vestibular input improves balance, posture, and attention stamina.
- Mature reflexes reduce impulsivity and support emotional regulation.
- A more connected nervous system allows children to engage more fully in both academic and social settings.
These are not skills that fade when school resumes. They become part of the child’s permanent neurological wiring, creating a stronger platform for every kind of learning and behavior.
Common Summer Challenges In the Cortex Helps Address
Inattention
Without structured routines, many children lose the ability to sustain attention over the summer. In the Cortex helps maintain and build this capacity by strengthening the sensory-motor systems that underlie focus.
Hyperactivity
Children who lack sufficient movement opportunities may become restless, impulsive, or emotionally volatile. In the Cortex provides daily movement that helps burn off excess energy while building regulation and control.
Emotional Dysregulation
Unstructured time can destabilize sensitive nervous systems. In the Cortex includes rhythmic, regulating activities that promote calm and resilience.
Regression in Fine Motor and Visual Skills
Children who spend summer primarily on screens may regress in skills like handwriting, tracking, and visual focus. In the Cortex supports these systems through purposeful movement and visual-vestibular integration.
Decreased Body Awareness and Coordination
Without consistent physical activity, proprioception and coordination decline. In the Cortex maintains and enhances these capacities, helping children return to school more coordinated and confident.
How to Use In the Cortex During Summer
Keep It Consistent
Daily repetition is key. Set a simple summer routine: 20–30 minutes of In the Cortex activities each day provides powerful brain-body input.
Use It As a Family
Many parents find that doing the program alongside their child improves connection, cooperation, and co-regulation.
Focus on Quality, Not Quantity
You don’t need to do a huge amount of brainwork – decide how much you can handle and stick with that!
Pair It With Outdoor Play
Balance structured In the Cortex time with plenty of unstructured movement outdoors. Both forms of input nourish the nervous system.
Track Changes
Notice and celebrate improvements in attention, mood, coordination, and stamina as the summer progresses. These gains build motivation and resilience.
