What Should a Summer Break Look Like? Why Play, Confidence and Curiosity Matter More Than Homework By David Mather

This article challenges the idea that summer should be about catching up on academic work, arguing instead that play, curiosity, and confidence-building are far more valuable. Drawing on research and programmes like the Holiday Activities and Food initiative, it highlights how rest, exploration, and social connection during the holidays support children’s wellbeing, autonomy, and personal growth—reminding us that learning doesn’t stop when school ends; it simply changes form.

David Mather | Senior Lecturer in Educational Leadership & Management | University of Portsmouth 

What Should a Summer Break Look Like? Why Play, Confidence and Curiosity Matter More Than Homework

Each year, as the summer break arrives, debate resurfaces about what children should be doing during the holiday. Much of the public narrative centres on academic progress and the risk of falling behind. Yet this framing often fails to recognise the wider value of the summer period in supporting children’s wellbeing, confidence and personal development.

The summer break offers a pause in the school calendar. For many children, it brings rest, play and reconnection with interests that lie outside the curriculum. For others, it brings challenges, including limited access to activities, financial strain or a lack of safe, stimulating environments. This disparity invites serious reflection on what is meant by learning, how it occurs and who gets to access it.

There is a longstanding problem with the term ‘homework’ - especially when positioned as ‘something to do’ during the summer. It situates learning as something to be completed and assessed, rather than something to be engaged with and explored. Some children experience it as a punishment or a marker of failure. This becomes particularly acute during holidays, when expectations around productivity and rest become blurred. For families already navigating complex pressures, holiday homework may feel less like enrichment and more like a burden.

Learning does not depend on classrooms. It occurs through play, conversation, creativity and observation. It thrives in environments that support exploration, encourage questions and allow time for reflection. Although formal education offers structure and access to knowledge, it can also constrain the expression of thought, particularly when standardised measures dominate the landscape. In contrast, informal learning often allows children to take the lead, drawing upon their interests, their surroundings and their sense of curiosity.

Structure is not inherently problematic. Many children benefit from predictability and routine. Yet too much rigidity risks undermining the development of autonomy and voice. Different children require different forms of engagement. What one child experiences as liberating, another may find overwhelming. There is no universal formula. Instead, there must be space for diverse modes of learning to co-exist.

Out-of-school environments can serve as a crucial counterbalance to the formal education system. Community schemes, play programmes and creative workshops can offer meaningful experiences that are not bound by curriculum outcomes. However, access to these opportunities remains unequal. Economic disadvantage, postcode variation and limited availability all restrict the reach of such provision. Those who might benefit most are often the least likely to be included.

Opportunities for play, interaction and informal learning over the summer should not be treated as luxuries or extras. Rather, they are central to children’s growth. A rapid evidence review by Loades et al. (2021) emphasised that summer programmes should focus first on emotional and social recovery, allowing children to rebuild confidence through play and relationships before turning to academic content. These experiences do not replicate school. Instead, they offer a distinct form of development that nurtures wellbeing, autonomy and curiosity. Recognising the value of these experiences means resisting calls to fill the summer with remedial learning. Learning does not cease when term ends; it changes form. While conversation, collaboration and exploration can and do happen in schools, the summer often allows these to flourish in different and liberating ways.[DM1] 

Programmes such as the Holiday Activities and Food (HAF) initiative demonstrate the potential impact of well-designed summer provision. Rolled out across England, HAF offers free access to meals, enrichment activities and safe environments for children eligible for free school meals, those who are subject to an Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP) and children who have official refugee status (subject to referral or Local Authority discretion). Emerging evidence suggests that these programmes contribute to improved nutrition, increased physical activity and enhanced emotional wellbeing during the holiday period (Defeyter et al., 2022). Crucially, the design of HAF prioritises play, creativity and social connection rather than academic remediation. It serves as a reminder that investment in out-of-school experiences can support children’s development in ways that formal lessons alone cannot.

A serious response requires action at multiple levels. If children are to be seen as an investment rather than a cost, then meaningful investment must be made in their out-of-school lives. This is not simply about avoiding the so-called learning loss, but about recognising the value of interaction, exploration and connection. Local authorities, government departments and third-sector providers all have a role to play in widening access to summer opportunities.

Psychological safety is essential. For some children, the school environment does not always feel safe or supportive. This may reflect social exclusion, unmet learning needs or the cumulative effects of disadvantage. In such cases, summer schemes can offer more than just entertainment. They can provide a space for recovery, growth and renewed confidence. The ability to choose, to engage on one’s own terms and to feel accepted contributes significantly to a child’s sense of agency.

This is especially true for children with additional needs. As a parent of a neurodiverse child, and as an academic working in the education sector, I have observed how structured schooling can sometimes restrict creativity. These restrictions are rarely due to individual teachers. Instead, they arise from the systemic pressures that shape day-to-day practice. In contrast, learning outside the classroom often feels liberating. It may take the form of rest, a quiet pursuit of interest or a renewed sense of purpose.

The notion of ‘lost learning’ is conceptually flawed. Learning does not disappear. It shifts, adapts and continues, even when formal structures pause. Summer should not be seen as a vacuum to be filled but as a period with its own value. Children continue to grow, socially and cognitively, through experiences that sit outside traditional educational expectations.

There is no single answer to what summer should involve. For some, it will mean active participation in clubs and activities. For others, it will mean quiet time, independent exploration or family engagement. What matters is that learning in all its forms is recognised and respected. Play, rest and experimentation are not separate from learning. They are part of it.

A well-designed summer should not replicate school. It should provide opportunities for expression, connection and choice. These elements foster confidence and support wellbeing. In doing so, they help prepare children not just for the next term, but for the wider challenges of life.

In place of prescriptions or uniform expectations, we need a broader understanding of what it means to learn. That understanding must be built on respect for different pathways, trust in children’s capacity to grow and a commitment to valuing development in all its forms.

The summer is not a threat to learning; it is part of it.

References

Loades, M. E., Shafran, R., Brigden, A., Reynolds, S., Linney, C., & Crawley, E. (2021). Wellbeing recovery: What should summer support programmes look like for schoolchildren? International Public Policy Observatory. https://www.ippo.org.uk/publication/summer-support-programmes-schoolchildren-wellbeing-recovery/

Defeyter, M. A., Stretesky, P. B., & Long, M. A. (2022). Holiday provision in the UK: The role of the Holiday Activities and Food Programme in supporting children and families. Northumbria University. https://www.northumbria.ac.uk/media/12820/haf-report.pdf

 [DM1]Thank you for your feedback. I hope that this captures it a manner that is appropriate.

David Mather is Associate Head of School (Students) in the School of Education, Languages and Linguistics at the University of Portsmouth. He provides strategic and operational leadership for student experience, recruitment, retention and leads on teaching, learning and assessment across the School. David is a Senior Lecturer in Educational Leadership and Management, and his work is grounded in a sustained commitment to the UK military and veteran communities. He leads research and engagement activity exploring how Initial Teacher Education can support military-to-civilian transition and contributes to national discourse on the educational experiences of service children. David is currently completing his doctoral thesis, which examines how military service is repositioned within civilian occupations through teacher education.