Post 225
Summer is looming ahead and most of us can’t wait! Right about now those long lazy days look like a golden road stretched out forever. Everyone…students, parents, teachers…needs that time to recharge and slow down a bit.
One thing to keep in mind is that many students drop back a leve or so in reading by the Fall simply because they are ” out of practice.” The best thing you can do is to keep your little one reading over the summer so that doesn’t happen.
For some children, reading happens naturally. They love to look at books, be read to and try to read. That’s terrific! Problem solved. But for others reading is WORK. Your child may very likely fall someplace in between these two extremes. SO how to help them realize that reading is FUN?
If it is doable for you, I always recommend a summer reading club at your local library. It is social, free, and usually involves some sort of reward such as stickers, a party, etc. Children can get help picking out what they want to read. Most little ones feel accomplished just bringing their books hoe from the library so they are already feeling good about themselves before they even open them reinforcing that reading is fun.😀
I would encourage you to let your child read in any format they enjoy. That can be a comic, an easy reader, a graphic novel, whatever. It might even be aat an easier level than your chld is currently reading at. That’s ok. The idea is for them to be fluent readers. You can always encourage them to pick out something on their level to read with you so you can help them over any rough spots. A caution here…be careful of books marked as “small books” or “easy readers.” Go through them first. They aren’t always easy due to the type of words. Ir may have more to do with word count. Your librarian can guide your student to leveled readers at their level.
Another thought is to have your little one read to someone or somehting. A sibling or grandparent is great but if none are available a pet or stuffie works, too. That’s where a slightly easier text (even one they have memorized) comes in. It’s nno stress and they can read the easily and Fluency + No Stress = Fun. And that’s the whole idea, right?
Finally, remember your chid looks to you as their model. Make sure they see you reading…books, newspapers, graphic novels, whatever you enjoy. And keep reading together. Whether it’s at bedtime or during the day those are really special moments that you both won’t forget. You + Your Child + Reading = Fun.
Take Care. 🙂
kindergarten23 