The Power of Summer Reading
For children across the US and Europe, summer is an exciting season. With increased freetime, students can continue to grow outside of the classroom while discovering their interests and the world around them. The summer offers children more chances to explore, use their imaginations, and create their own adventures. As they seek to write their stories, young readers can use books to blossom and make the holiday break a time of learning and wonder.
Summer reading has a variety of benefits that allows your child to flourish. It keeps children engaged and growing – a crucial part of dealing with learning loss during a time when many children lack access to traditional materials offered in school. But by using books and keeping a reading schedule, whether through a local library or our BookSmart app, we can help children keep learning! BookSmart gives young readers from all backgrounds access to the resources and opportunities they need to develop and thrive throughout the year.
Maintain Learning Over the Summer
Often, parents and educators will talk about the “summer slide,” or the idea that children will fall behind during the summer when they are out of class. However, the summertime offers a great opportunity for students to continue to be productive.
Consistent reading during the holiday can improve vocabulary and comprehension in children. Exposure to new words and ideas boosts memory, and reading out loud builds fluency and phonics skills. It helps when learning a new language, too. Having access to books in a target language or dual languages can benefit children from different cultural backgrounds.
Along with advancing literacy skills, books even support concentration and focus – abilities essential in both their school and social lives. The rewards of reading, especially when a child is young, are amazing.
Improve Social and Emotional Development
The ideas and stories offered by reading a wide range of books are great tools in helping develop a child’s social and emotional skills. Books can promote empathy, improve their imagination, and assist them in learning about the world they live in. Introducing children to a variety of stories helps them understand different people, places, and cultures. It prepares them from an early age to be respectful and curious about their surroundings.
This is especially important while children are out of school, as they may experience less social interaction. Reading during the summer gives students a chance to develop social skills before entering the classroom where they will make new friends.
Discover the Joy of Reading and Lifelong Learning
Reading during the summer also provides children the opportunity to explore books outside of school. When students can choose stories and topics that interest them, it encourages them to be excited about both reading and learning.
A Scholastic report found that 89% of children’s favorite books were the ones they picked out themselves! The ability to select their own books also improves independence and accountability in young readers. Access to a digital app like BookSmart allows children to choose topics that appeal to them and inspires fun summer reading. Developing a love of books early makes it easier and exciting for students to read later on.
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