Do all skaters take time off?
When back on the ice do the skaters forget many things they have learned?

Define what you mean by "time off".

My daughter and I always take one day a week off, and will miss an entire week here and there if we're on vacation. Neither one of us has ever forgotten anything, although it might take a day or two to feel back to normal. We've never taken any extended time off, but many rinks close down in the summer months, and those skaters seem to manage. I don't know any highly competitive skaters who take that much time off, though, unless they have to because of injury.

I'm not very good at explaining myself am I?
Just wondering in general how much time people out there take off each year. I heard that if skaters don't get off the ice for at least 4 weeks out of the year they can burn out especially children.

I would guess this is a every skater is different answer.
My skaters take a few days off after a comp, a few days off after a test.Even when they come back after a comp, its different. More fun skating, not so serious.
That said, I dont think we have ever taken off 4 weeks unless you count her first summer when she was 4. They both want to come back after a few days, even when I want the break !I dont think we have ever even skipped a whole week, just maybe skated two days that week.They so far after 5 years have no burnout.
I think time off is fine but with a very competive skater harder to do.

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For me personally, my "breaks" from skating generally fall around different holidays when we don't have ice and when I need to do things for work...

I am also one who, after a test session I generally have more "fun" when I skate...because I get to work on the things that I put to the side while I focused on the test....

I will be taking a week off in May to visit a friend (I will probably skate a tiny bit to teach her daughter, but I don't really count that), and then because of work, there will be a 2 week period in August that I will not be on the ice

I think some of the "forgetting" depends on the level of the skater...for very beginners (LTS tots, and maybe basics 1, 2, 3 or so) I think they may forget some things, but once you get older and more experienced, you don't really forget things, you get really rusty....I didn't forget anything over the 9 years that I didn't really skate, just was very rusty and out of shape when I finally did get back on the ice...

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"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly. AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES." --Nike

It's also dependent on the age and intensity of the skating, and the skater. Kids should take a week off occasionally IMHO; it gives the body a chance to heal and rest, particularly if there are nagging little injuries; it also gives them a chance to relax and re-energize. Let's face it: many of us love our jobs, but, the vacation week off lets us rest, refocus, and have a mental break, and we're adults; kids equally need a break.

My guys take a week off between each "season" - fall to winter (Xmas); spring to summer; and summer to fall. We get them into the physiotherapist then for checkups, etc., and send them back in having "missed" being on the ice for a week ... it really works for them.

I take tons of breaks off! hehe. I only skate about twice a week, though. Last summer, I took three weeks off to go overseas and when I came back, my axel was way better than before I left! and I had just gotten off the plane the same day! Unusual for some, but I think it cured me of some bad habits. Also, there is a lack of ice in May and June at my rink, so I don't skate then for two months... Well, this year I'm going to a different rink. And there is the week around the Christmas/New Years.

Some of my spins come back wonky and slow, but I still know all the basics and my body knows what to do. And I can usually hit most of my jumps. It does take a while for my moves to get back to a decent quality though.