It’s summer! And that means baseball games, barbecues, camping trips and reading. Yes, reading! Kids who don’t read over the summer risk losing up to three months of important skills they learned during the school year. This is especially true for kids from low-income families. Summer learning loss poses a real threat to a student’s academic success and ability to function later on in life. Once a child falls behind, they rarely catch up.
Unwrapping some tips to bring you success...
Selecting something to read can be emotional. All of us have read books that leave us breathless as we tell a friend the plot. For kids, that feeling is escalated, because selecting the right book is a declaration of independence as a reader and a commitment to a new journey. Let me help you find engaging and appropriate books for your young reader to choose from.
START YOUNG AND STAY WITH IT
At just a few months of age, an infant can look at pictures, listen to your voice, and point to objects on cardboard pages. Guide your child by pointing to the pictures, and say the names of the various objects. By drawing attention to pictures and associating words with both pictures and real-world objects, your child will learn the importance of language.
Children learn to love the sound of language before they even notice the existence of printed words on a page. Reading books aloud to children stimulates their imagination and expands their understanding of the world. It helps them develop language and listening skills and prepares them to understand the written word. When the rhythm and melody of language become a part of a child's life, learning to read will be as natural as learning to walk and talk.
Even after children learn to read by themselves, it's still important for you to read aloud together. By reading stories that are on their interest level, but beyond their reading level, you can stretch young readers' understanding and motivate them to improve their skills.
IT'S PART OF LIFE
Although the life of a parent is often hectic, you should try to read with your child at least once a day at a regularly scheduled time. But don't be discouraged if you skip a day or don't always keep to your schedule. Just read to your child as often as you possibly can.
Taking the time to read with your children on a regular basis sends an important message: Reading is worthwhile.
ONE MORE TIME
You may go through a period when your child favors one book and wants it read night after night. It is not unusual for children to favor a particular story, and this can be boring for parents. Keep in mind, however, that a favorite story may speak to your child's interests or emotional needs. Be patient. Continue to expose your children to a wealth of books and eventually they will be ready for more stories.
Having access to information through the printed word is an absolute necessity. Knowledge is power, and books are full of it. But reading is more than just a practical tool. Through books we can enrich our minds; we can also relax and enjoy some precious leisure moments.
With your help, as your children begins a lifelong relationship with the printed word, they can grow into adults who read easily and frequently whether for business, knowledge, or pleasure.
Authors: Bernice Cullinan and Brod Bagert (abbreviated version)
Source: U.S. Department of Education
Source: U.S. Department of Education
Summer Picture Book Reading List for Pre-Readers
• The Book with No Pictures by B.J. Novak
• Fairly Fairy Tales by Esme Raji Codell
• You’re Finally Here by Melanie Watt
• Doodleday by Ross Collins
• Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
• Edwin Speaks Up by April Stevens and Sophie Blackall
• Captain Buckleboots on the Naughty Step by Jonathan Emmett, illustrated by Poly Bernatene
• Goldilocks and Just One Bear by Leigh Hodgkinson
• Captain Buckleboots on the Naughty Step by Mark Sperring
• The Bear’s Song by Benjamin Chaud
Summer Reading: Funny Picture Books
• There Are Cats in This Book by Viviane Schwarz
• Chickens to the Rescue by John Himmelman
• Guess Again! by Mac Barnett
• The Butt Book by Artie Bennett
• Here Comes the Big Mean Dust Bunny by Jan Thomas
• This Is a Moose by Richard T. Morris, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
• It’s All About Me-Ow by Hudson Talbott
• You Will Be My Friend by Peter Brown
• King Hugo’s Huge Ego by Chris Van Dusen
• Very Little Red Riding Hood by Heapy & Heap
• Sophie’s Fish by A.E. Cannon, illustrated by Lee White
• No Bears by Meg McKinlay, illustrated by Leila Rudge
• Z for Moose by Kelly Bingham, illustrated by Paul O. Zeliinsky
• Unicorn Thinks He’s Pretty Great by Bob Shea
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
• Those Darn Squirrels by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri
• Battle Bunny by Jon Scieszka and Mac Barnett, illustrated by Matt Myers
Summer Reading: Picture Books with Life Lessons
• When Blue Met Egg by Lindsay Ward
• You’re Mean, Lily Jean! by Frieda Wishinsky
• Millicent and Meer by Richard Byrne
• Hello Goodbye and a Very Little Lie by Christianne C. Jones
• The Almost Fearless Hamilton SquidLegger by Timothy Basil Ering
• The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers
• Hippos Can’t Swim and Other Fun Facts by Laura Lyn DiSiena and Hannah Eliot, illustrated by Pete Oswald
• The Art Collector by Jan Wahl
• Tuesday Tucks Me In: The Loyal Bond between a Soldier and his Service Dog by Former Captain Luis Carlos Montalvan, USA with Bret Witter, photographs by Dan Dion
• Chopsticks by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
Tips to Make Summer Reading Happen
1. CHOICE: Let your kids choose the books that they read.
2. BOUNTY: Fill your house with lots of books. More books = more chances for your children to find a fantastic, amazing, very good book that they can’t put down.
3. LIBRARY: Use your library. Let your kids go WILD and check out lots of books!
4. TIME: Kids need opportunities for reading. So, make sure they’re not filling all their time with TV, video games, and iPad time.
5. TECHNOLOGY: Don’t forget about audiobooks, Kindles, iPads, and Nook reading. Those count, too.
6. READABILITY: Make sure your child is reading books that he or she can actually comprehend. When choosing a book, use the **5 finger test ** to decide if it’s a just right book. During and after reading, ask your child to tell you a little bit about the story. If you haven’t read the story, read the back and ask questions pertaining to that summary. Make sure your child is understanding what he reads — and that he KNOWS IF HE DOESN’T.
-source rif.org
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I sincerely hope that these ideas will help you with your child's "time off" and summer break. Remember, reading is fun and not a chore so add it into your summer activities often. Your kids will not only become avid readers because of it being included they will use the gift of reading to celebrate how lucky they are to be literate ( and smart) . Mostly they will discover how enjoyable and important a good book can really be.
FYI: Yes I realize that some of the books in the summer reading list are displayed in a different colour than the rest. Blogger sometimes just has a mind of its own and creatively does its own thing. Because those books are highlighted does not mean they are more important, it just means that Blogger is messing with me and although on draft everything is perfect, on publish it gets the last laugh and won't change it's mind and correct the colour pallet. Just thought you might enjoy this little aside and it might give you a smile. :-) Me too... I'm learning that not being perfect can be fun! Have an awesome day everyone! Read on.......
FYI: Yes I realize that some of the books in the summer reading list are displayed in a different colour than the rest. Blogger sometimes just has a mind of its own and creatively does its own thing. Because those books are highlighted does not mean they are more important, it just means that Blogger is messing with me and although on draft everything is perfect, on publish it gets the last laugh and won't change it's mind and correct the colour pallet. Just thought you might enjoy this little aside and it might give you a smile. :-) Me too... I'm learning that not being perfect can be fun! Have an awesome day everyone! Read on.......
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Read on and read always!
It's a wrap.
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