“Summer Slide” is the drop in reading and math skills that students experience during summer vacation. I pinned a few things on Pinterest about the summer slide. There are hundreds of posts out there on the topic – ideas of things to do and graphics about why the summer slide is a big deal for students. There’s an entire industry built on this concept, and they churn out summer workbooks for students at every grade level. The hope is that students will spend a little time every day to keep their skills up so they start the new school year on track rather than spending the first few weeks trying to recapture what they learned last year. At least in my experience, this felt like just more school to my son, and he despised the workbook no matter what incentive he earned to finish.
As a reading advocate, I am most interested in the reading side of the slide. Kids with no access to books at home have the hardest time when school starts back up in the fall. They may be sun-kissed from hours outside – or pale from hours indoors playing video games – but their reading skills have atrophied over the summer. Donalyn Miller, reading expert, says reading just 4 or 5 books over the summer vacation can help students keep their skills up for the new school year.
How do you get your kids to read over the summer?
Try to keep it FUN. When I was teaching, my students loved summer because they could read books that were under their reading level (sometimes frowned upon during the school year) or books that they had already read. Let your student read what he/she wants in the summer! Enjoy the freedom.
Consider a challenge or make it a game. If you have a kid who responds well to a challenge, set one up. There are many options available online. Last summer, my son and I chose the challenge books for each other. It was fun to read things that I wouldn’t have chosen otherwise that he loved. And it was a great way to get him to read things I thought he would like but he sneered at during the school year. If a challenge or game will make reading feel like a chore for your student DON’T do it. You know your child best and know how he/she will respond.
Take advantage of your local library. Some kids don’t have books at home – and others have read everything they have. The library is a great place to discover new reading materials! If your student has a tablet, look into ebooks from your library. Some schools have started making their library collections available in the summer because they know how important this is for students. See if that is an option from your school district.
To help you out, I have created a PDF of book recommendations for kids at different age levels. The age levels are recommendations. I might change those recommendations for a particular reader that I know well, but these are a starting point. Look at the suggestions with your readers. See which books they have already read. Talk about what they loved about their favorite books. Look at the general suggestions at the bottom of the PDF for other ideas. Here is the PDF: The Neverending TBR Summer Reading List 2017
I hope you and your kids have a terrific summer break. Let me know if you find some great books so I can add them to MY summer reading list!