It’s Summer... Now What?

Whether your child has already started summer break or school will end in the next few weeks, you may be thinking, now what? Is there anything my child should do this summer to maintain reading achievements or to catch up?

Rest and relaxation should be the number one way kids spend their time over the summer.

Going to school has been their full-time job, so kids need time to relax and recharge. Whether going to day or sleep away camp, lazy days at the beach, or playing Marco Polo at the pool, kids should be outside enjoying nature as much as possible. It's good for their physical and mental health. And being outside is just plain fun!

Summer days are long so some time can be spent on academics.

MAINTAIN SKILLS

A lot of families have their kids do a few pages a day from summer bridge activity books. Schools might have sent home summer packets.

There are other ways to keep skills sharp that don't feel like school never ended.

Book Club

Help your child choose a book and read together every day for at least 30 minutes. Your child doesn't need to read the whole time. You can take turns reading paragraphs or pages. Then have a "book club" discussion about what has happened after each chapter. Predict what's going to happen next. Talk about your favorite and least favorite characters' traits.

Make it even more fun by teaming up with your child's friends and have them get together to discuss the book. Everyone can bring a snack to share. Bonus points if the snacks are related to the book in some way.

Choose a book that's been made into a movie and talk about which was better or what parts were different. (The book is usually better.)

Cook Together

Reading a recipe counts as reading. If eyes are on print, it's reading! You can include some math by using different measuring tools than what is suggested in the recipe or by doubling (or halving) the recipe.

Make Time for Writing

Your child will be more motivated to write if there's a purpose. Dictate the grocery list. Have them send a snail mail letter to a friend or relative, write a short summary of a book or chapter, or "publish" a movie review. Make sure your child says each sound while writing the words, especially in multi-syllable words. Immediately point out errors, write the letter or letters for the sound above the error, and then have your child make the correction.

Read Along with an Audiobook

Listening to a book that would be challenging for your child to read is a great way to stretch their skills -- as long as they are reading along. Simultaneous listening and reading is an opportunity to hear fluent reading and to be exposed to words that would be difficult to read otherwise.

Play Board Games

Remember, eyes on print is reading. So reading the directions or game cards is a low-stress way to practice.

TUTORING

If your child needs more reading help than these suggestions to get ready for the next school year, consider tutoring. One to one tutoring ensures your child's specific skill gaps can be addressed.

Using a Structured Linguistic Literacy (speech to print) approach can fill those gaps. My approach gives kids the information they need to become better readers without anything extra like memorizing phonics and syllable rules or sight words.

Online tutoring is more convenient and less time-consuming for parents and students. A session can be completed and students can get right back to whatever they were doing (the pool?) before the session. Students can stay at home where they feel most comfortable. Parents don’t have to drive back and forth to a learning center, the library, or a coffee shop.

If you think your child can benefit from online tutoring during the summer or the school year, schedule a free consultation call at www.successtutoring.org.