Reading

Summer Reading Loss

Research has shown that students lose about 3 months of their reading gains if they don't read over the summer. This can add up to a considerable loss by the time the child leaves elementary school. While summer is a time for rest from the daily grind of homework, it should not be void of reading. Summer set-back can be avoided, and students can enter school in the fall ready to pick up where they left off.^[1]

For a child to become a reader, a vital formula is: for every instructional page read, there must be at least 3 pages of fun and easier reading to "help the cement dry" on the learning. Without this practice, attempts at teaching a child to read are like trying to put unmatched pieces of a puzzle together — lots of work with little yield. When a child is "up to par" on reading, this practice happens naturally as they read. When a child's skills are behind in reading, even by a few months, this extra fun and easier reading becomes even more important. This balance in levels of reading material is necessary for children's learning. Children benefit if parents read to them, or share the reading aloud, choosing books of interest to the child. Don't lecture, glow, as your child reads. Minimize correction and maximize bragging. There should be lots of independent level books, which are read alone. Get several books from the library, and be happy if your child reads 2 or 3. Remember the formula: three easy books for each one at their "reading level".^[2]

What can families do to keep children reading in the summer?^[3]

• Visit the library; take advantage of their reading programs.
• Lead by example. Read the newspaper at breakfast, a magazine at the doctor's office. Stuff a book in your beach bag. Let kids see that literature can be a fun and important part of their summer days.
• Help kids find time to read. Many children are busy in the summer. Remember to leave some time in their schedules for reading. (bedtime? at breakfast?)
• Relax the rules. Let them read what, when, and how they please. Don't set daily minute or page requirements. Make sure it's fun.
• Have plenty of reading material around, not just storybooks.
• Talk it up. Talk about what you, or they, have read — Why you liked it; what you learned from it.
• Use books to break the boredom.
• Read aloud with kids. Take your children to see a local storyteller, or be one yourself!
• Pack books they can read for ballgames, car trips, and the beach.