For kids, summer means swimming, barbecues, and fun with friends. Schoolwork, including reading, is often forgotten during the break. However, when children don’t continue reading over the summer, they can lose much of what they learned during the school year. In addition to preventing learning loss, there are many reasons why your elementary- or middle-school-aged child is encouraged to pick out a few books for the summer. Here are the key benefits of summer reading.
Why Children Should Continue Reading in the Summer
1. Preserve Reading Skills
Like any skill, reading must be developed and maintained. Without regular practice, what your child learned in the previous school year could gradually be lost. Summer reading is not only important for maintaining a child's current grade level skills but can help push him forward to develop skills above his grade level. Daily reading will keep the mind active and allow your child to exercise his literacy skills to avoid the summer slide. The summer slide can lead to a decline of 2-3 months of learning. Researchers estimate that by the time a struggling reader reaches middle school, summer reading loss has accumulated to a 2-year lag in reading achievement. This year, unlike most, the summer slide is meeting the Covid slide, and researchers are concerned about what that might look like. Below you will find the NWEA projections.
2. Expand Vocabulary
Kids of all ages are bound to run into words they don’t know in the books they read, especially if they are transitioning to a higher reading level. Children can expand their vocabulary by looking up definitions and asking parents or reading tutors about meanings. Once they know what complex words mean, they’ll gain a better understanding of the texts when they appear again, cementing their knowledge of the meaning and proper word usage. This gives them context and allows them to add the word to their own vocabulary. This also helps with SAT prep for older students.
3. Broaden Knowledge
Books aren’t just for developing reading skills. There are books on countless subjects, from animals and robotics to distant cultures and historical moments. Reading is an exceptional tool for learning about different concepts from around the world, and it can expand your child’s general knowledge. With all the books covering math, science, and history, they will learn things that will help them throughout their academic career.
Whether your child is catching up or getting ahead, they could benefit from reading classes with Stretch & Catch® Reading Center. Located in Chagrin Falls, OH but online across the country, this learning center offers reading and writing tutors for kids from kindergarten through middle school. Their passionate teachers are qualified to give students of all learning levels the help they need through online sessions and private tutoring. To request a literacy evaluation for your child, call (844) 732-3777 or fill out a form online.
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