Preventing the “Summer Slide”
by Jackie Leathers, Reading Specialist
Did You Know?
“Summer slide” refers to the tendency for students to lose ground over the summer in terms of their reading skills. Many children do not have access to appropriate reading materials over the summer months, and as a result, they experience regression in their reading development.
To avoid the “summer slide,” try to fit reading and writing activities into your daily routines. Even a quick five or ten minutes a few days a week can make a big difference for early readers. Several of our online subscriptions will continue over the summer, so be sure to take advantage of this opportunity to access free books that are a good fit for your child’s current stage of reading development.
Don’t Forget about Reading with Your Child
Reading expert, Marilyn Adams, claims that reading aloud with your child is the single most important thing you can do to support his or her development as a reader. When you read aloud to your children, you expose them to vocabulary, concepts, and sentence structures that they would not otherwise encounter in everyday language. Reading aloud also builds a strong base of background knowledge that will support your children with reading material that they will later encounter. Comprehension hinges on a strong knowledge base. In a nutshell, the more you know, the easier it is to learn more!
Watch Reading Researcher, Nell Duke, Explain What Good Readers Do (Below)
Dr. Nell Duke explaining what good readers do
21 Best Podcasts for Kids
Check out this wide variety of excellent podcasts. There’s something for everyone here!
https://www.weeditpodcasts.com/the-21-best-podcasts-for-kids/