Stop the Summer Reading Slide

Written by: Natalie Fuertes

School’s almost out for summer! It’s time for sleeping in (yeah, right), days at the beach, and your kids asking for an endless amount of snacks. And while I’m a huge proponent of kids taking a break from the rigors of school and getting a chance to just play outside, the early childhood educator in me slowly seeps in and I can’t help but worry about the dreaded Summer Slide.

What is the Summer Slide?

It’s a decline in reading ability and other academic skills that occurs over the summer months when school is not in session. Studies show that students can lose two to three months of academic progress if they don’t read over the summer.

It has a significant impact on low-income students who may have more difficulty bouncing back during the school year and it's a contributing factor to the achievement gap - widening the gap in academic achievement among children from different socioeconomic levels, well into middle school and high school. By the end of fifth grade, the Summer Slide results in as much as a two year gap in reading ability between children who read enough during the summer and those who don’t.

How to Prevent it?

Children who read four or more age-appropriate books over the summer maintain their reading level and children who read 10-20 books over the summer are shown to actually improve their reading skills.

But how do you make reading fun over the summer, so that it doesn't seem like a chore or more homework? First step, throw the reading log away and show them all the fun that's in the pages of a good book.

Here's some great tips to put the joy back into summer reading:

This article from Motherly has some great, simple tips on how to make one in your home.

It’s a great chance for friends to chat with each other about a book they’ve recently read. Let them come up with an activity to go with the theme of the book - for example, you can set up a taco bar after they’ve read Dragons Love Tacos.

At home, we like to take a family vote and pick a chapter book. Then we’ll take turns reading a chapter out loud each night.

Head to your local bookstore, public library, or (shameless plug) our Book Fair with Astoria Bookshop at LIC Kids Gymnastics next Monday and Wednesday. Nearly 90% of kids say their favorite books are ones they have picked out themselves. So take them on a little shopping trip to pick out some new books for your home library!

Happy (summer) reading!

---

Need some suggestions for your home library? Here’s some great books for every level:

Board Books:

• Love Makes a Family by Sophie Beer

• Me gusta como soy!/I Like Myself by Karen Beaumont

• The Family Book by Todd Parr

• Besos for Baby by Jen Arena

• Dream Big Little One by Vashti Harrison

• All the World by Liz Garton Scanlon

• Vegetables in Underwear by Jared Chapman

• Counting on Community by Innosanto Nagara

• I’ll See You in the Morning by Mike Jolley

---

Picture Books:

• It’s Okay To Be Different by Todd Parr

• Not Quite Narwhal by Jessie Sima

• I Am Enough by Grace Byers

• Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin

• Grace for President by Kelly DiPucchio

• The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt

• The Book with No Pictures by B J Novak

• Islandborn by Junot Diaz

• We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan Higgins

• The Day You Begin by Jacqueline Woodson

• Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

---

Elementary School Books:

• Ada Lace, on the Case by Emily Calandrelli

• Perfect Balance Gymnastics Series by Melisa Torres

• Star Wars: Jedi Academy Series by Jarrett Krosoczka

• Magic Treehouse Series by Mary Pope Osborne

• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

• Dory Fantasmagory by Abby Hanlon

• Charlotte's Web by E B White

• Matilda by Roald Dahl

• Daisy Dreamer Series by Holly Anna

• Ivy & Bean Series by Annie Barrows

• Ghosts by Raina Telgemeier

---

Middle School Books:

• The Storm Keeper's Island by Catherine Doyle

• Blended by Sharon Draper

• Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai

• Wonder by R J Palacio

• The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

• The Amulet Series by Kazu Kibuishi

• The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer

• Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

• Treasure Hunters Series by James Patterson

• Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

• Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt

• Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson

• Merci Suarez Changes Gears by Meg Medina

---

Young Adult Books:

• The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas

• Divergent Series by Veronica Roth

• Champion by Marie Lu

• Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon

• Contagion by Erin Bowman

• We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss

• Sadie by Courtney Summers

• Dread Nation by Justina Ireland

---

Adult Books:

• One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

• The Female Brain by Louann Brizendine

• The Passage by Justin Cronin

• The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

• Becoming by Michelle Obama

• Good Omens by Neil Gaiman

• The Power by Naomi Alderman

• All We Ever Wanted by Emily Giffin

• Dirty Job by Christopher Moore

If you love this selection, join us next Monday, June 17th and Wednesday, June 19th for our Book Fair with Astoria Bookshop to shop these titles!