Summer break is a time for students to unwind and enjoy a little freedom from all the responsibilities that come with classes and homework, but it often leads to the unintended consequence of a decline in reading habits.
Even if students stop reading for a short amount of time during their summer break, it can have a lasting, negative impact on their education, according to advocates who encourage families to read with each other.
“Unfortunately, what goes by the wayside oftentimes are reading skills,” said Samantha Hagan Lingad, vice president of programs for the California-based nonprofit group “United Through Reading.”
During the school year, students are immersed in an environment where reading is typically a part of their daily routine.
When summer break arrives, however, that structure can easily fall apart.
“Their reading level actually drops,” Lingad said. “When they start the new school year … they are not ready. So they are actually falling behind.”
Lingad offered several tips for parents on how to sharpen students’ reading skills during back-to-school season, including reading books together, reading aloud or forming a family book club where everyone reads the same book and then talks about what they read at the end of every chapter.
“A really important tip on how to keep kids reading and doing it for the joy of reading is to not make it a chore — not make it the vegetables they have to eat alongside their mac and cheese,” Lingad said.
With that in mind, Lingad encouraged parents to give their children the option of a wide variety of books to choose from.
She also pointed to the importance of “model reading” for kids.
“That means they should see you reading for joy,” said Lingad. “Let them see you sit down on the couch with your favorite novel … or whatever it might be, so they see you reading. Our kids are sponges — anything they see you doing, they want to do, and that really goes for kids of all ages.”
Lingad described summer reading loss as being “a widespread problem” that happens every year.
“It really can affect the child, and it can actually affect classmates as well,” said Lingad. “If the teacher is in a position where they need to reeducate a good portion of the classroom to get them just up to the minimum reading standard, it can definitely slow down all production for that year.”