Forget summer loss, we’re all about supporting summer gains! We all know the evidence behind why children should continue to engage in enrichment activities throughout the summer months (see this article on Summer by the Numbers). Can you guess one of the easiest ways to maintain reading skills learned during the school year and make new gains? You’ve got it, just keep reading. During the summer, reading should be led by your child’s interests and should happen daily for 20-30 minutes. You can mix things up by introducing new series or topics, having family reading time, and going beyond books. There are so many different types of print media and the summer is the perfect time to explore.
We’ve created a fun summer reading challenge that your child can use to keep those skills sharp! Allow your child to set their own reading goal, but remind them to keep the goal realistic. No reading 1000 books a day. While that might sound amazing, it’s probably not going to happen. They can even choose a reward to be given at the end of the summer break if they crush the goal (given parameters from their trusted adults). Both the goal and the reward should be written down to keep the motivation high all summer long!
This challenge will allow your child to explore new genres and old favorites. We recommend visiting your local library every few weeks to choose books that meet the different prompts. You can also explore free e-books that are available through your library card, borrow a book from a friend, or search for a Little Free Library in your town.
Leave a Reply