Radio Commentary
Experts agree that children who read during the summer gain reading skills, while those who do not can lose some of them.
As children’s first and most important teachers, parents have a major role to play in motivating children to read during the summer.
Here are some tips to help keep your child learning and reading.
Combine activities with books. Summer leaves lots of time for children to enjoy fun activities such as going to the park, seeing a movie, or going to the beach.
Why not also encourage them to read a book about the activity?
If you’re going to a baseball game, suggest your children read a book about their favorite player beforehand. In the car or over a hot dog, you’ll have lots of time to talk about the book and the game.
Visit the library. If your child doesn’t have a library card, summer is a great time to sign up. In addition to a wide selection of books to borrow, many libraries have fun, child-friendly summer reading programs.
Lead by example. Read the newspaper at breakfast, pick up a magazine at the doctor’s office, and stuff a paperback in your beach bag.
If young people see the adults around them reading often, they will understand that literature can be a fun and important part of their summer days.
