How to Guarantee 30% Gains in Your Young Child’s Reading Scores
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It is common for students to lose as much as 10% of their newly acquired skills over the summer break. Reading books helps kids retain what they learned. Getting your child to read this summer could help them enter the next school year with up to a 30% gain over those who DID not read.
Kids who don’t continue summer reading show declines in learning on standardized tests at the beginning of the year, relative to where they ended the previous spring. This drop in reading scores and other test scores is commonly referred to as the summer slide. Open any textbook, and you will see evidence. It is common for textbook publishers to begin the year with a large chunk of review time because of this phenomenon.
The good news is that you have the power to destroy Summer Slide!
We Need Every Kid to Read Over Summer, but How?
We are our Kids’ Literacy Advocate
As parents, we can stop this with as little as reading six books to our kids over the summer break. As homeschool families, continuing to learn means we can skip the first boring chapters and review pages.
Summer break can be a magical time when we change gears, have time to chase inspiration, and build new love for subjects we don’t have time for in the grind of the school year.
What do your kids love?
Make time for it this summer.
Chase down their interests by being intentional about their summer reading choices.
Acknowledge That You are Responsible
Summer is the time to improve reading scores
For years, we did school year-round. With eight children under nine, free time was our enemy. A few weeks without structure was all we could endure.
Now that the kids are far more independent, we can enjoy longer breaks during the summer reading season.
We might not be in school, but that does not mean we aren’t taking time to learn.
Books We Picked for Specifically for Summer Reading
These will help you get some ideas rolling. A ton of these books or similar titles are available at the local library. If your child loves it and you want to add it to your personal library, you can always add it to your wishlist. I have a whole list on Amazon just for when I get a bonus card or a payment for a writing assignment. (Will work for books)
Click this link for the FULL Amazon List of books mentioned in this article: https://a.co/d/01GLWOZR
Any title from the Little People, BIG DREAMS Series.
They have really done a great job with this series. The length is perfect for little ones, but the stories are very honest. Kahlo had a devastating accident, and Curie lost her true love. These are not downplayed but presented as part of their life story. My children empathized with each of their hardships and were more endeared to these women as a result.
Follow Their Curiosity
My nine-year-old is in love with Amelia Earhart. We bought the Little People book instead of borrowing it last year because it is beautifully illustrated, library-bound with thick pages, and the text is just right for a new reader. It is a “keep” book, the only kind I purchase.
The kids watched “The Who Was Show” on Netflix and learned about Marie Curie, Frida Kahlo, and several other historical figures, so we picked up a few more books in the set for their summer reading.
Growing Readers Need More Difficult Books
I mentioned my adventurer, since she wanted to learn more about Amelia the flyer; I thought this DK biography was just the book for her. Don’t be afraid to level up with high-interest books. Since she has made several reading-level gains over the school year, this book should be just right. Since she wants to know more, the text won’t stop her, and there are plenty of pictures to satisfy her curiosity. DK books are the best for curious readers. They are full of information from edge to edge on every page. This one would be great for a strong 3rd-5th-grade reader.
Biographies Inspire Kids to Dream Bigger
Summer is a great opportunity for exploration. While you read, you can explore the possibility of traveling to locations from your historical figure’s life or go see examples of their work. For now, shoot me some biography suggestions of your favorites in the comments below. Who inspires you right now as an adult?
Don’t forget to add books that tie into themes from your biographies. This is especially relevant during passive learning periods, such as summer. We have the battle-worn copies of the DK books “How Things Work” and “Flying Things” to learn more about airplanes. Since I prefer the kids to lead themselves during break times, I usually just put the books out in our main room at the beginning of the week, then encourage the kids to check them out during quiet time. Now, flying week it is.
Next week, we are jumping into more fun reading!
You can catch a preview of the books we are using on our Instagram @thebookhousereads, where we share book recommendations for the whole family.
Follow it for a looking glass into our life and say hello, for sure, I love to follow fellow homeschool teachers, parents, and entrepreneurs. If you like the same, you will love my friends on Instagram.
