Summer is a time for fun and relaxation. Unfortunately, it is also a time when many children lose skills they worked hard to attain throughout the year. This loss is also known as the “Summer Slide.”

How do we avoid the Summer Slide?
Daily reading and writing is one of the best ways we can avoid skill loss and ensure students arrive at school in September at or ahead of where they left in June.  And reading is fun and relaxing just like summer! We implore all students to read and write over the summer to maintain and increase their learning and skills! Reading each day is so important! Bring a book, a notepad and pencil wherever you go this summer so all those thoughts in your mind can become words on a page!  

Reading and writing can happen anywhere!
in the car
at the park
at the beach, boardwalk, or pool
EVERY NIGHT as part of your bedtime routine

Visit the Long Beach Public Library, RaZ Kids, or any other text (comic books, video game manuals, web sites, magazines, etc.) and encourage your child to read! 

Keep in mind the following:
Even books that appear easy or have become “old favorites” can help build confidence and fluency.
Talking about what they read helps children comprehend better!
Any reading is good reading!
Listening to an adult read out loud or reading with a partner is just as powerful as reading independently.  

Click the links below to view the corresponding documents:
Suggested Activities to Make Summer Reading Enjoyable
Reading Discussion Starters
Top 100 Children’s Books of All Time
Choosing Just the Right Books

Please find below some links to studies on the benefits of reading:
https://www.csun.edu/~krowlands/Content/Academic_Resources/Reading/Useful%20Articles/Cunningham-What%20Reading%20Does%20for%20the%20Mind.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/08/05/health-benefits-reading_n_4081258.html
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-athletes-way/201401/reading-fiction-improves-brain-connectivity-and-function