5 Things ALL Parents Should Know About Summer Reading

1. Access to high-quality texts is the most important factor in your child’s reading success. When your child isn’t reading every day in school, it’s even more important to make sure that they can get their hands on books and articles that are engaging and well-written.
   
   
2. Talk about it! Making reading social can be a big motivator. Ask questions about what your child is reading. Read some of the same things they are reading. If they ask you questions you can’t answer, explore answers by reading about the topic together. Include siblings or friends in reading and sharing too.
   
   
3. Don’t forget nonfiction! The knowledge your child has about the world is another important factor in their success as readers. Children need to know a little bit about a lot of things to become successful readers. So while your child should definitely read novels and stories they love over the summer, building knowledge through reading nonfiction has a huge impact on their success as readers.
   
   
4. Build confidence by helping your child set goals to achieve along the way. Goals can help them feel more motivated to keep reading. Tying their goals to things they want to learn and do, for example, “I want to learn all I can about bugs!,” can also help them see the value of reading to their whole lives.
   
   
5. Most importantly, HAVE FUN! Summer is a time to play, explore, and be curious. Reading should be a part of this fun. Help your child follow their interests and curiosities right into their reading. Try tying reading to the hands-on activities they love to do in the summer—whether that’s reading about a new country and cooking a meal, building a fort and reading about architecture, or looking up at the night sky and reading about what you see.

Summer reading doesn't need to be stressful to be successful for kids OR for their parents and guardians! 

Find FREE printable packets with questions and answer guides for students entering 1st-12th grade here: www.readworks.org/summer-reading

​Or sign up for a summer membership that supports all of these 5 key things. You’ll receive hand-picked reading and enriching activities tailored to the levels and interests of your child for only $15.99 per family for the whole summer: about.readworks.org/summer-reading