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5 Summer Reading Tips

to keep reading going over the summer holidays!

The Summer Holidays are a wonderful time to take a break, recharge and get ready for the next year. It's great to take a breath and slow down for a bit. But I know a lot of people worry about the Summer Backslide (where kids forget what they've learned and regress by September) and as reading is both the most important area of learning, and the easiest to maintain, I've put together a few, very quick and easy activities to help you keep reading going over the Summer:

Bring books everywhere

The first, and easiest way to make sure your child reads over the holiday is to take a book with you wherever you go. Giving your child the 'option' to read alongside any other activity gives them a much bigger chance of 'choosing' it, whether that’s when you're at the park, on the bus, or just playing at home.

It also helps to raise the value of reading. If your child knows you will always offer reading as an option, it helps them know that you think reading is important and makes them more likely to choose it.

Finally, if you're able to take 5 minutes a week to read something where your child can see you doing so (a book, newspaper or magazine works best, rather than a screen, as your child can clearly see you reading) your child will be much more likely to want to copy you and choose to read too!

Take it outside

During term time, we often fall into routines of reading in the same place everyday. Over the summer, switch it up a bit. Reading outside (in the park, up a tree, in your garden etc) can make reading exciting for your child as it feels special. Encourage your child to choose where they're going to read each day so they feel like they have control over their learning. You can continue this when the weather gets colder by reading in strange places, like on a table or in the bath!

It's Showtime!

Lots of kids love making up shows and dances to perform to their parents. You can take advantage of this by encouraging your child to take a book and act it out. It could be a book you've read together, or one you want them to read on their own. Even if they just use the pictures to create the play, fantastic! They're interacting with books and acting out a narrative!

Set up some chairs and grab some popcorn to make the performance feel even more special, and (even if it goes a bit awry and doesn't follow the story in the book) make a big fuss at the end to encourage your little one to do the same thing in the future.

Chalk it up

Chalk is one of the best resources for outside activities. You can use it to mark out hopscotch, write words/sounds for your children to read and jump on, or just give your children chalk to draw with, so they're building their core strength and gross motor skills.

For extra fun, give your children water and paintbrushes/sponges and encourage them to trace over any words, read them, and wash them away!

Pop the Subtitles on

This is a final, very easy one to make sure your child is reading (if passively) during those quieter moments. If you're watching a film together or they’ve got the TV on, pop on the subtitles. Seeing them on the screen as the characters are speaking will help your child make connections between the words and the writing. You'd be amazed what words kids can recognise!

Of course, the best thing you can do is to read to your child everyday. Story time is great for understanding narrative, expanding vocabulary and just being a fantastic bit of bonding time.

If you want loads of additional activities to keep your child reading and writing over the summer, check out the Raising Readers Community, where I release new activities each month.

Which of these are you most likely to try? Let me know over on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/groups/784158515996895

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