12 Practical Ways To Keep Up With Reading During the Summer

After a long academic year in which your child has learned and exercised many skills, summer is a chance for them to relax and refresh. But if they don’t continue to use their newly learned skills, they may end up losing them. This is known as the “summer slide.” 

Luckily, it’s totally possible to avoid the summer slide while still letting your child enjoy their time off from school! Summer reading is an excellent way for kids to reinforce language, comprehension, and vocabulary skills they learned during the year.

But don’t just hand them a book and wish them luck! As a parent, it’s important that you’re involved in your child’s reading journey over the summer, too. Here are some practical ways you can help your child keep up with their reading during the summer. 

1. Set a Reading Goal

Set a daily or weekly reading goal for your child at the start of the summer. The daily or weekly amount should vary based on your child’s age or ability. You don’t need to communicate this to them as some kind of homework or chore — Instead, give your child the freedom to decide when they feel most happy to pick up a book, whether that’s in the morning, midday, or evening. Make sure you remind and reinforce this goal verbally. You can also model what it looks like to follow this goal by sitting down and reading either with or alongside your child.  

2. Read Aloud With Your Child 

While reading independently is an extremely important skill to develop, it can also be a lonely experience. Reading aloud with your child reinforces the positive social and emotional aspect of reading. Most children’s first experience with a book is when their parents read to them and they are surrounded by love and positive attention. Reading aloud with your child reinforces this positive association with reading, and this will help them continue their reading practice down the road. Additionally, having your child read aloud to you will help their language fluency and comprehension skills.

3. Let Your Child Read on Their Own

It’s so much fun to read with your child, but you also want to encourage independent reading as well. Over the summer, children need to reset and not feel evaluated, so it’s important that reading doesn’t feel like homework. To reinforce reading as a fun activity, let your child naturally develop the habit of picking up a book. A great way to do this is to read one chapter of a really exciting book aloud to your child, and then tell them that you won’t be reading the next chapter for a few days. But give them the option of picking up the book and reading the next chapter on their own, if they want to. 

4. Read at the Right Level 

Reading books that are too easy will be boring, and reading books that are too difficult can be really frustrating. If you want your child to keep up with their reading practice over summer, it’s important that they experience the confidence that comes with finishing a book. Children are more likely to finish books that are understandable, but just challenging enough to push them. Need help finding books that are suitable for your child’s age and reading level? Check out Scholastic’s Summer Reading List by age. 

5. Discuss What You’re Reading 

Reading is all about comprehension, and one great way to develop your child’s comprehension skills is to discuss what they’ve read on their own or what you’ve read together. Ask your child what they think about the events of the book/chapter. Discuss characters together and ask them what they think will happen next. You can also model comprehension for your child by giving your own thoughts and opinions, and then explain which context clues led you to that conclusion. 

6. Let Them Keep a Reading Journal

Let your child keep a reading journal in which they can record any unknown words they come across, any questions they have, and any thoughts they want to share with you as they read independently. This will help their reading practice become more intentional. Have them share their journal with you so you can help them define vocabulary words and answer questions. 

7. Let Them Choose What They Want to Read 

Many schools will provide a reading list, and this is great. But it’s also a good idea to give your child the opportunity to choose books that are outside of this reading list. According to a study, 89% of surveyed children agreed that when they were able to choose their book, they read more often. Remember, you want your child to develop a positive association with reading — in order to do that, they need to be enjoying the activity as much as possible! 

8. Library Trips

What better place for your child to choose what they want to read than at the library? Going to the library is a quintessential childhood experience that can really add an element of magic to the act of reading. Make a bi-weekly habit of bringing the kids to the library where they can explore genres, get to know other readers, and learn the responsibility of checking out books and bringing them back on time.  

9. Create a Designated Reading Space 

You want to make your child’s reading experience feel special and exciting. One way to do this is to create a designated reading space where they can feel free to get lost in a book. Choose a space that has ample light, and get some comfortable seating, like bean bag chairs or another cushioned chair. You can get as creative as you want to when creating your child’s reading nook, and ask your child to help you so they can feel ownership of the space, too.

10. Use Audiobooks

Sometimes there’s just not enough time to read. Audiobooks are a great way to get some reading time in with your child while you’re on the go, whether you’re just driving to Grandma’s house or on a family road trip. Additionally, if your child has learning disabilities or struggles with reading in general, audiobooks are an excellent way to scaffold their reading activities, making it easier for them to reach their reading level. 

11. Subscribe to Magazines For Kids 

A great way to get your child looking forward to their reading is to subscribe to magazines for kids. Magazines like Highlights for Children and National Geographic Kids are full of educational material that’s fun and engaging. Your child won’t be able to wait for the next issue to come out! Here’s a list of awesome kids magazines you and your child can pick from together.

12. Invest in Your Child’s Reading Skills at LearningRx 

At LearningRX, our brain training programs help early readers develop a strong foundation for reading skills. Using cognitive games and brain exercises, our personalized program focuses on developing the cognitive skills your child needs help with, and strengthening those they already excel at. 

If you’re interested in how LearningRX could help your child grow their reading ability, get started by taking our 3 minute quiz. This quiz is designed to help you identify areas in which your child could improve their reading ability, whether it’s comprehension skills, language skills, or ability to focus. 

Ready to get started with LearningRX? Contact us today!