Summer shouldn't mean taking a break from learning,
especially reading. Studies show that most students
experience a loss of reading skills over the summer months,
but children who continue to read actually gain skills. Efforts
should be made during the summer to help children sustain
reading skills, practice reading and read for enjoyment.
Taking the time to read with your child can help you evaluate
your child's reading skills.
Educators consider summer reading very important in
developing life-long reading habits, in maintaining literacy
skills and in promoting reading for pleasure. Studies have
repeatedly shown that children who continue to read during
the summer months perform better when school resumes in
the fall.
Research has also shown that when parents are actively
involved in learning at home, their children become more
successful in and out of school.
(Based on a feature article written for the May 2003 issue of Classroom
Connect Newsletter, The K-12 Educators' Guide to the Internet
Why Do Summer Reading?
It increases:
-Reading level
-Visualization skills
-Language skills
-Thinking skills
-Vocabulary
Some Tips for Summer Reading:
-Have plenty of books, books on tape, magazines,
and other reading material around for kids to read.
Keep books in the car and make sure a good book gets
tucked into sports bags and campers' backpacks.
• Get your child his own library card. Take or allow him
to go to the library often and browse for books and enjoy
special activities.
-Help your child select books on topics he is
interested in and on his reading level. A simple rule of
thumb for helping your child select books at his reading
level is to have them choose a page in the book (not the
first one) and read it. If he doesn’t know five or more of
the words, then the book is too hard for pleasure
reading.
- Connect reading with other summer activities.
For example, read books about places you will go over
the summer or things you will be doing. Perhaps you will
visit the beach or go camping; there are many good
books about the beach and camping!
-Set goals and reward reading. Reward reading with
more reading. If your child finishes one book, stop by the
store and let him pick out another.
- Let your kids see you read. Read the newspaper over
your morning coffee, take a magazine from the rack in a
doctor's office while you wait, and stuff a paperback into
your purse, pocket, or briefcase. Your kids will catch on
to the fact that reading is something you like to do in
your spare time.
-Make reading together fun and memorable. Even if
your child is a super reader, they still love to be read too.
You may want to use different voices for different
characters when you read to your child. Reading
together is a time for closeness and cuddling - another
way to show your love as a caring adult. Children love to
read letters and notes you write them.
• Read it, then do it. Does your child want to learn magic
tricks? Juggling? Computer games? There's sure to be a
book that can help him. Have your child
read the instructions and then give it a try.
