CE2 Summer Workbook: what to review, and which one to choose
In CE2, your child has achieved a feat: mastering all multiplication tables and their first real grammar rules. But eight weeks without practice, and these skills can fade one by one. Yet in CM1, fractions and complex reasoning will rely on these basics from the very first week.
The essentials in 30 seconds
- Always choose the workbook for the class your child has just completed: a child finishing CE2 should get the CE2 workbook to consolidate knowledge before starting CM1.
- Age group: 8 and 9 years old, at the end of CE2 or the very beginning of CM1.
- The right pace: ten to fifteen minutes a day, preferably in the morning. The goal is never to finish the workbook, but to stay engaged.
- What to prioritize for review: all multiplication tables, written multiplication and the concept of division, ruler, square, and compass work; durations and time.
- Also known as a CE2 to CM1 summer workbook or CE2 vacation homework: it's the same book, named by the starting grade or the transition.
- To test the style before buying, a free printable summer workbook is available on kidibook.com.
- Our workbook: The Astro Workbook, Space Mission — Large CE2 Activity Book, 96 large A4 pages including 70 pages of full-color activities, €24.99 with free delivery, printed on demand in Europe.
Table of Contents
The CE2 curriculum in detail
A good summer workbook doesn't guess: it covers, concept by concept, what your child has actually worked on this year. Here is what the CE2 (Cycle 2) annual benchmarks require in mathematics and French.
In Mathematics
The milestone of tables. Your child now knows all multiplication tables, uses them both ways, and performs one-digit multiplication. They are discovering the concept of division through sharing and grouping situations. Numbers go up to 10,000. In geometry, they draw using a ruler and square, use a compass to draw circles, and recognize solids — cube, rectangular prism, sphere, cylinder, cone, pyramid — using the vocabulary of faces, edges, and vertices. They also calculate durations and read the time to the nearest five minutes.
In French
Grammar is truly taking root. Your child identifies word types, distinguishes complements, and most importantly masters subject-verb agreement — the most decisive spelling concept of the year. They conjugate in the present, imperfect, future, and compound past (passé composé), and identify the homophones that trick everyone: a and à, et and est, son and sont.
Specifically, what a CE2 workbook should cover
- all multiplication tables
- written multiplication and the concept of division
- numbers up to 10,000
- subject-verb agreement
- present, imperfect, future, compound past
- homophones: a/à, et/est, son/sont
- ruler, square, and compass; durations and time
The principle to remember A CE2 summer workbook covers the curriculum of the year your child has just completed, not the following year. We consolidate before the start of the school year, we don't get ahead — that's what distinguishes a summer workbook from a tutoring manual.
Why review during the holidays
CM1 introduces fractions and large numbers. Without automated tables, every exercise becomes twice as long: the child spends the energy they should be using to understand concepts on calculation instead.
Two months without practice is a long time for an 8 or 9-year-old. It’s not that the knowledge disappears — it remains somewhere — it’s the automatic skills: reading slows down, tables have to be reconstructed instead of recited, and agreement rules are remembered a bit late. Researchers call this the "summer slide." A few pages a week are enough to avoid it.
And it's not about keeping the child busy: it's about sparing them the unpleasant feeling in September of having forgotten everything. It's as much about confidence as it is about level.
How to choose a CE2 summer workbook
Back-to-school aisles offer a dozen workbooks for the same grade, and they all look alike from the outside. Here are the six criteria that really make a difference, in order of importance.
| Criterion | What to look for |
|---|---|
| The right level | That of the completed grade, never the one to come. A workbook that is too advanced is discouraging within three pages. |
| Curriculum coverage | French and mathematics, with key concepts of the year — not just thematic games. |
| Activity duration | Short exercises, doable in ten minutes. One page = one session, otherwise the workbook becomes a chore. |
| Answer keys | Included, and readable by a busy parent. Without answer keys, you end up redoing the exercises yourself in the evening. |
| The desire to open it | A story, a mascot, visible progress. This is the only criterion that decides if the workbook gets finished or abandoned. |
| Format | Large A4 format, paperback, that lays flat on a kitchen table and fits in a beach bag. |
The last criterion is the one most underestimated. A summer workbook that becomes a chore has already lost: it will end up half-filled on a shelf, and the revisions with it. That is the reason why our workbooks tell a story rather than just lining up worksheets.
Our CE2 to CM1 summer workbook: The Astro Workbook, Space Mission
CE2 Summer Workbook · 8-9 years old
The Astro Workbook, Space Mission — Large CE2 Activity Book
96 large A4 pages, including 70 pages of full-color activities, driven by an 8-chapter story with Astro the little robot.
€24.99Free delivery · printed on demand in Europe
Discover the CE2 workbookThe principle is simple: your child isn't "doing exercises," they are helping Astro the little robot in space and on space missions. Each chapter advances the story, and each finished page makes the adventure progress. This isn't just window dressing: it’s what makes a child reopen the workbook the next day without being asked.
What the workbook contains
- 96 pages in large A4 format, including 70 pages of full-color activities.
- The CE2 curriculum in French and mathematics, covering the concepts listed above.
- Games between exercises: mazes, word searches, coloring, observation games.
- All answer keys at the end of the book, to verify at a glance — or to let the child self-correct.
- Visible progress and a diploma to fill out on the last page.
- Printed on demand in Europe, delivered for free, with no minimum purchase.
One hour of private tutoring costs about €30. This workbook costs €24.99 and accompanies your child throughout the entire summer.
How to use it without ruining the summer
Ten minutes a day, no more. Preferably in the morning, before the beach or pool, when the mind is fresh. The goal is never to finish the workbook: it's to stay in touch with reading, numbers, and the pencil.
And if your child skips an entire week, it's not a problem — really. Three pages done with pleasure in August are better than thirty pages forced at the end of July. At 8 and 9 years old, consistency matters more than volume.
The ritual that works Keep the workbook in the same place, at the same time, and let your child choose their page. The choice changes everything: it transforms an obligation into a decision. And keep the answer keys for the end — self-correcting is part of the learning process.
Which workbook based on your child's grade
The benchmark is always the same: the grade your child has just finished. A child finishing CE2 takes the CE2 workbook, even if they are starting CM1 in September.
| Grade completed | Age | Workbook | Mascot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-K (Petite Section) | 3-4 | PS Workbook | Titou |
| Pre-K (Moyenne Section) | 4-5 | MS Workbook | Rosie |
| Kindergarten (Grande Section) | 5-6 | GS Workbook | Bibou |
| 1st Grade (CP) | 6-7 | CP Workbook | Plouf |
| 2nd Grade (CE1) | 7-8 | CE1 Workbook | Léo |
| 3rd Grade (CE2) | 8-9 | CE2 Workbook (this page) | Astro |
| 4th Grade (CM1) | 9-10 | CM1 Workbook | Rex |
| 5th Grade (CM2) | 10-11 | CM2 Workbook | Gauvain |
"CE2 to CM1 Summer Workbook": what are we talking about?
Many publishers — and many parents — name the workbook by the transition rather than the grade: CE2 to CM1 summer workbook. It is exactly the same book as the CE2 workbook: it reviews the CE2 curriculum to prepare for entering CM1. You will also see the term CE2 vacation homework, which refers to the same thing.
Are you hesitating between two levels because the year was difficult or, conversely, very easy? Choose the one for the grade just completed in the first case — the workbook reviews the basics step by step — and also in the second: reviewing quickly and well is better than struggling with concepts never seen before. Our FAQ details specific cases.
Other Kidibook formats
For the school year: My Super Year CE2
The summer workbook covers the holidays. If you are instead looking for a daily ritual during the school year, My Super Year CE2 — Kidibook offers one challenge per day, a star to color, and badges to unlock throughout the CE2 school year. The two complement each other: one maintains, the other accompanies.
To try before buying: the printable workbook
If you want to test how we design our exercises, a free printable summer workbook is available on our main site. It's a good way to see if your child likes the format before ordering the paperback version.
For the winter holidays
The Grand Advent Workbook uses the same principle over 24 days, with all six mascots together. The entire range is included in the Grand Adventure Workbooks collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which summer workbook to choose for a child finishing CE2?
The one for the class they just finished, so the CE2 workbook. A summer workbook consolidates the past year: it is not intended to introduce the CM1 curriculum, which will be taught in class at the start of the school year.
What age is the CE2 summer workbook for?
For children 8 and 9 years old, at the end of CE2 or the very beginning of CM1.
How much time per day should be spent on it?
Ten to fifteen minutes is enough, four or five times a week. Beyond that, attention wanes and the workbook becomes a constraint. A short daily session is better than a long weekly one.
My child had difficulties this year, is this suitable?
Yes. The workbook reviews the basics step by step without assuming everything is mastered. It's the perfect opportunity to calmly review what was tricky, without the pressure of grades or the class environment.
Are the answer keys included?
Yes, all answers are at the end of the workbook. You can verify at a glance without having to redo the exercises yourself, and your child can also correct themselves whenever they want.
What is the delivery time?
Each copy is printed on demand at a partner workshop in Europe: allow 5 to 10 business days between ordering and receipt. Shipping is free, with no minimum purchase, everywhere in metropolitan France. The CE2 workbook is €24.99.
Can it be used during the school year, not just in summer?
Absolutely. Many families open it during the autumn break or make it a weekend ritual. The exercises are short and corrected, making them easy to integrate at any time.
What is the difference between a CE2 summer workbook and CE2 vacation homework?
None, in practice: both terms refer to the same summer review material. "Vacation homework" emphasizes the academic aspect, "summer workbook" the playful side. You will also come across the phrasing "CE2 to CM1 summer workbook," which names the book by the transition rather than the grade completed.
Is division covered?
The concept of division, yes — through sharing and grouping situations, just like in CE2. Written long division is a CM1 topic: the workbook does not cover it because it reviews the past year, not the one to come.
The CE2 summer workbook, ready to go on vacation with you
96 pages, 70 pages of full-color activities, all answer keys included. Printed on demand in Europe, delivered for free.
Order the CE2 workbook — €24.99Summarize this page with an AI:
Kidibook designs educational workbooks and books from kindergarten to high school, written based on the French National Education curriculum guidelines and illustrated in-house. All our works are printed on demand in Europe. A question about choosing a grade level? Write to us, we will reply within 48 hours.