Summer slide can be prevented, although it takes some concentrated effort on the part of parents, students, and caregivers. Help prevent the summer slide in reading with top tips for parents and students from teachers who know.

“Summer reading loss refers to the decline in children’s reading development that can occur during summer vacation times when children are away from the classroom and not participating in formal literacy programs.”(Allington & McGill-Franzen, 2003)

What if you have the problem of trying to get older children to sit down and read in the summertime?

PROBLEM: MY KIDS ARE A LITTLE OLDER, BUT I STILL WANT THEM TO GET IN THE HABIT OF READING

Parents who wish to encourage children’s reading comprehension over the summer should do three things.

  1. Model hard copy reading like newspapers, magazines, and books. It’s a quiet way to help children realize reading is done outside of school. This doesn’t have to be long, but long enough for children to notice.
  2. Reading to children is important even if they know how to read. Let the child decide sometimes who will be the reader. The experience is enhanced when the text is discussed. Ask questions and discuss the book. The best questions start with, “What did you think?” or “What did you wonder?”
  3. Discuss movies, television shows, and summer events with children. Comprehension is occurring all the time and summer a great time to take advantage of opportunities to talk and extend the child’s comprehension.

Students who wish to practice and keep up with their reading skills over the summer can do three things:

  1. Ask grownups to take you to the library to check out your own books.
  2. Ask grownups to read to you. Even if you can read, it is nice to hear the voices of people you know reading orally.
  3. Write letters to relatives over the summer. You will enjoy receiving letters back, and you can READ them!

Here are a few resources to possibly help.

First, free summer reading book logs, bookmarks, and a little graphing, an instant download at the blog post.

This printable includes:
3 pages of bookmarks in color to print and cut apart
2 pages of black and white bookmarks to print and cut apart
1 page of summer counting and 1 page of corresponding graphing
1 black and white reading chart to print for students
1 summer reading chart in color

Summer-Bookmarks freebie

The second suggested printable has a free emergent reader (reading!) as well as some math bump games to play. It is an instant download at this blog post.

This printable has the full story on one page, intended to be read aloud to children. Also included are a comprehension work page and answer key, bump math games, and a full-color emergent reader about guided reading level F.

free_frog_day_story_and_activities

Finally be ready for fall with a fall reading log, bookmarks, and a little graphing for that first math center activity.

Free Fall Bookmarks, Reading Logs, and Double Plus One Graphing

This free PDF has fall bookmarks and reading logs in color and in black an white, as well as double plus one graphing.  For use in K-1 classrooms, homeschools, or at home.

free_fall_bookmarks

Thank you for reading, Carolyn

You might also like the summer writing freebie with two sets of pocket chart word cards A to Z with differentiated writing paper for K-2.

Summer-writing-a-to-z-pocket-chart-card-vocabulary-and-writing-paper-free-PDF

Prevent the Summer Slide in Reading for Older Children Help prevent the summer slide in reading with these tips