Stories to Grow By 

July 2023 Newsletter

In this edition: Stories to Grow By talks about summer reading and showcases the story "The Golden Goose"!

How to Keep Up With Reading in the Summer

Avoid Summer Learning Loss

The following tips are provided by Reading Rockets

Efforts should be made during the summer to help children sustain reading skills, practice reading and read for enjoyment. Taking the time to read with your child can help you evaluate your child's reading skills. A recent National Institutes of Health study showed that 67% of young students at risk for reading difficulties became average or above average readers after receiving help in the early grades.

Parents and Guardians should remember that children need free time in the summer to relax and enjoy the pleasures of childhood. So summer reading should be fun. Following are a few tips to make reading enjoyable for your children this summer:

1. Read aloud together with your child every day. Make it fun by reading outdoors on the front steps, patio, at the beach or park. Also, let your children read to you. For younger children, point out the relationship between words and sounds.

2. Set a good example! Parents must be willing to model behavior for their children. Keep lots of reading material around the house. Turn off the TV and have each person read.

3. Read the same book your child is reading and discuss it. This is the way to develop habits of the mind and build capacity for thought and insight.

4. Let kids choose what they want to read, and don't turn your nose up at popular fiction. It will only discourage the reading habit.

5. Buy audio books, especially for a child with a learning disability. Listen to them in the car, or turn off the TV and have the family listen to them together.

6. Take your children to the library regularly. Most libraries sponsor summer reading clubs with easy-to-reach goals for preschool and school-age children. Check the library calendar for special summer reading activities and events. Libraries also provide age appropriate lists for summer reading.

7. Make trips a way to encourage reading by reading aloud traffic signs, billboards, notices. Show your children how to read a map, and once you are on the road, let them take turns being the navigator.

8. Encourage children to keep a summer scrapbook. Tape in souvenirs of your family's summer activities picture postcards, ticket stubs, photos. Have your children write the captions and read them and read them aloud as you look at the book together.