How to avoid the “Summer Slide”

What is the “Summer Slide”? During the summer months, students are at risk of losing 2-3 months of reading skills if they are not engaged. Unfortunately, the summer slide is cumulative, with these losses building up each year. By 5^th grade, kids in need could be 3 grades behind their peers in reading skills.

What can you do to beat the Summer Slide?  The Citrus County Library System offers weekly summer reading programs that at their core encourage reading.  These free programs are educational, engaging, and remind kids that reading can be fun!  While you’re at the library, have your child pick out some books to read.  Children are more likely to read and enjoy books they have picked out themselves.  Children are also more likely to read if they see the adults in their lives reading on a regular basis.

Here are some more tips from First Book to help children develop their literacy skills:

• Reading is reading. Don’t be too picky about the type of reading material. Books, magazines, or comics are all legitimate options.
• Don’t worry too much about the book being appropriately challenging. Summer is the perfect time to foster a lifelong love of reading and learning which might mean going back and re-reading old favorites or picking up a book to read just for fun.
• Set aside a regular time for reading. This might be daily or a couple of times a week. A child could read to an adult, an adult to a child, a child to a peer, or a child to a pet (maybe even a stuffed animal)!
• Ask questions. Try to foster both comprehension (e.g. Who is the main character?) and critical thinking (What do you think will happen next? Why?).

Make reading part of your summer routine and keep your child off the “Summer Slide”.

Kids Who Read Beat Summer Slide, https://firstbook.org/blog/2016/05/27/books-beat-summer-slide/

CSLP Summer Reading White Paper, https://www.cslpreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/CSLP-Summer-Reading-White-Paper-2015.pdf