5 Benefits of Doing Summer Reading
Summer is busy. You’re out of the grind of the school year, but travel, sports, camps, and pool days quickly fill your schedule. So why should you add one more thing to your plate and force your family through a summer reading plan? There are actually more benefits to this practice than you may realize! Here are 5 of the key reasons why kids (and adults!) should read during the summer:
Summer Reading Prevents the Summer Slide
It’s a well-researched fact that kids lose a significant amount of school year learning over the summer break. Some estimates show that even up to 30% of what they’re taught over the school year is lost during this short period, known as the summer slide. Reading during the summer is a great tool to keep up the momentum so your kids don’t fall behind!
According to a 3-year study conducted by Dominican University, kids who participate in summer reading programs scored higher on beginning-of-year reading achievement tests. These students also experienced greater reading achievement all year long than kids who did not do summer reading.
It Allows Struggling Readers to Gain Confidence
Especially if your child struggles with reading, this extra momentum and practice is invaluable to helping them gain some ground. Reading struggles don’t just go away with time; instead, they require targeted approaches to helping kids become more successful.
If you have a child who struggles with reading, any “pleasure” reading may feel more like a fight. But the fact is these are the kids who need it the most! You can help kids who are reluctant readers by:
- Selecting books that are funny or about a topic they enjoy
- Going back a “reading level” to foster enjoyment and confidence rather than pushing a harder text on them
- Doing a read aloud together where you take turns reading sections of the book
- Having some fun motivations or rewards along the way to keep them engaged
It Expands Experiential Knowledge, Vocabulary, and Imagination
We all know that reading has the ability to teach you something. It also can expose your family to new worlds, cultures, and experiences that you would not otherwise encounter. Reading fosters imaginative thinking, expands vocabulary, and can even build qualities like empathy and compassion in kids.
Summer Reading Takes Reading Out of a High-Pressure Environment
Lots of kids hate reading because of the pressure that’s associated with it in school. It’s forced. It is graded. It is frustrating, especially if they struggle. Reading over the summer can allow your kids to realize that reading doesn’t go away when school ends. It can be an (dare we say it…) enjoyable part of daily living!
Again, summer is not the time to force reading hard texts that are boring or not engaging for your kids. Allow this to be a season where you foster a love of reading, even if it’s something “easy” or purely entertaining!
It is a Helpful Family Tool
Summer reading can be a helpful tool for your family. Not only does it allow you to connect by talking about what you’re reading, but you can also frame it as a family goal you’re trying to reach together. When the parents are also reading, kids have the enjoyment of holding YOU accountable as well. Modeling a love of reading, perseverance when things get harder, and the ability to discuss what you read will help your kids grow in these areas as well.
Another way summer reading can help families is by allowing you to get a true pulse on how your child is reading. Are they frequently asking for help with the same words? Do they seem to immediately forget what they read? Do they struggle with comprehension and being able to put things in their own words? Are they frequently distracted and unable to sit still for any length of time?
These kinds of questions can allow you to troubleshoot what’s really causing your child’s struggles with reading, performing in school, or learning.
Brain Training for Reading Skills
If you notice that your child is struggling, don’t leave them in that place. More time is likely not going to be the thing that helps reading click for them… targeted practice and a brain-based approach will, though!
Reading happens through a complex network of skills in the brain. If even one of these areas is weak, the whole chain reaction is going to suffer and slow down. At LearningRx, we target the exact area where your child struggles to provide a root-cause approach to reading and learning help.
By training the brain to focus, remember, think, and learn more efficiently, reading becomes faster and more automatic.
Click here to learn more about our reading training program >>
