Preventing Summer Reading Loss – Part I

Ah, summertime. Swimming, lemonade...little children laughing whilst running barefoot on the freshly cut grass. There’s nothing more divine.

And after your sweet little lambs have tired of playing outside, they return to you saying they’ve had enough, and would just like to settle down with books. Right? Wrong.

It usually begins with a request to play some wretched handheld video game, or to vegetate in front of the TV. You feel a pang of guilt because you know they haven’t been reading enough lately, so you suggest a book. Almost inevitably there’s whining. You might even be tempted to give in. After all, they work so hard during the school year.

Unfortunately, by the time September rolls around, lack of reading will have caused them to suffer from a phenomenon called “summer reading loss” (sometimes referred to as “summer slide,” and any number of other iterations).

There exists a large body of research dedicated to estimating the degree of deterioration of skills, and which groups of children are at greatest risk, but overall, it makes sense that any child who does not read over the summer could see some decline in skills by September. 

Grade-specific summer reading lists came home with your child (click to view) and are conveniently on file at the Ridgewood Public Library. They include a variety of genres and are revised annually.

The Ridgewood Public Schools utilize the Fountas & Pinnell Leveled Booklist (K-8), and the Ridgewood Public Library has anticipated your child’s need to use these books by locating or purchasing as many of them as possible (currently available up to level “O”) (click to link and scroll down).

For instance, if you child is on “Level K”, head over to the Children’s Desk and ask a librarian to show you which books on the reading list are available. Also, librarians know which books are popular with your child’s age group and can make fantastic suggestions. Stock up on summer reads before going away on vacation. No time? Call or go online.

Selecting a group of books from the list will help to set reading goals over the next two months. If your child fancies a particular genre, simply browse the Ridgewood Library Genre Lists (click to link and scroll down) as a point of departure.

If you’re trying to motivate an older child to read, the RPL has a “Teen Blog”, where one can read book reviews by peers. There are also lots of other programs for teens, including discussion groups and writing workshops (see RPL site for details).

Check back on Friday for the second part of this two-part series, which will provide tips on how to keep the kids zooming through books all summer long.