Did your child become a super reader during the school year, but their skills are now starting to slide? Maybe they don’t enjoy reading as much as you want them to. Have you heard about the research that shows children who don't read over the summer are likely to start the upcoming school year at a disadvantage? Whatever your reason, summer is a great time to bone up on those skills and build a love of reading in fun and fabulous ways.
Borrow a book - We all know that the Calgary Public Library is a great resource for books; but also check out their summer reading programs and encourage your child to get a library card because it fosters independence and a love of reading.
Read the book; then see the movie - Lots of children’s movies are based on great stories. Check out the Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, then read the series. Take the time to talk about how the books and the movie differed.
Bring books everywhere - Ditch the data-driven device in your car. Bring a pile of books to flick through on long drives, or ask your child to read to you while you’re at the wheel.
Listen to audio books - If you keep the TV on for background noise, try switching to a story read out loud by someone else in your family. It’s a great way to play, build language skills or to encourage children with learning disabilities to enjoy stories.
Have a book adventure - There are so many fun scenes to explore in books. Read the Angelina Ballerina series of books by Katharine Holabird and have your child practice being a beautiful dancer on stage or create a play based on scenes in the books.
Think outside the book - Build a better understanding of sentence structure by having your child do word searches, Mad Libs or by unscrambling sentences. Or go on a scavenger hunt and have your child read the clues.
Combine activities with a book - Going to the beach, lake or camping this summer? Why not also encourage your child to read a book about the activity? If you're going to a football game, suggest your child read a book about their favorite player.
Literacy isn’t all about words on a page - Singing songs and playing games, like Eye Spy, are all fun ways to secretly build vocabulary.
The key point to remember is that when you encourage your child to read during the summer, everything they read should be fun! If they only want to read comic books or the back of a cereal box, don’t sweat it, the best thing you can teach them is to love books.
Calgary Reads is an early literacy initiative changing the lives of struggling Grade 1 and 2 readers and their families in Calgary and area schools. For more information or to volunteer with their organization, visit www.calgaryreads.com.
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