The best way to keep summer learning loss at bay is to continue reading everyday throughout the summer. Just 20-30 minutes per day of any kind of reading is going to keep them fluent while exposing them to new ideas and ways of reading.

Things You Can Do…

• Find a few audio books so the kids can get exposed to books above their reading level – by listening. Listening to books lets the kids kick back, enjoy the story and let their imaginations run free.

• Make a plan for your older reader’s summer reading lists so there’s no log jam at the end of the summer. Read the books yourself so you can discuss them with the kids.

• Have a family book contest. Organize a family book contest to encourage completion of those summer reading lists. A visual star chart, tracking each members progress is a great reminder for everyone involved, and don’t forget some prizes and incentives along the way.

• Set out a variety of reading material from poems to magazines and books that cover genres in fiction and nonfiction categories. The key here is to give your child a choice and the time to do it.

• Watch the movie. Have a little film and novel class. Many movies are based on books. Read the book then watch the movie or watch the movie then read the book. How do they compare?

Literacy App for You Tech Lovers

Early readers can benefit from time spent on apps. They can make the difference in your child’s reading and vocabulary development. There are lots of apps out there that teach the basics like, letter recognition, phonics and sentence sequencing. Since, there are so many different options it can be hard to figure out which ones are the best. With the help of CommonsenseMedia.org and some other resources, we’ve curated a brief list of apps for your early reader.

Early readers
• Starfall (PreK-2)
• Monkey Word School Adventure (PreK-2)
• Sight Word Adventure (K-3)
• Speech with Milo: Sequencing (K-2)
• BOB Books Reading Magic (K-2)
• Montessori Crosswords (preK-4) for Apple devices or
Montessori Words & Phonics for Android devices
Older readers
• Mad Libs (ages 10-99) for Apple devices or
Stories Gone Mad for Android devices

How are you keeping the reading going this summer? Let me know in the comments.