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As the school years winds up, many parents may be headed into tackling homework, and parent-teacher conferences. Maintaining their child’s reading skills at home takes time and support. This is especially vital for parents of struggling readers. The good news is that you do not need to be a literacy expert to help. Anyone can help a child improve their reading comprehension and fluency by using just a few of these simple strategies.  Create a Consistent Reading HabitReading is similar to learning other skills. The more a child practices, the better they get. And the best way to make practice consistent is to form a habit. Establishing a daily reading habit—no matter how small—can help struggling readers build fluency and confidence. Here are some ideas to build a reading habit:
To help build the habit, ReadWorks developed the Article-A-Day™ routine. Each day, children read one short, high-interest nonfiction article and briefly reflect on it. These articles are designed to take just 10 minutes a day, making it quick and easy for parents and their children. Try It: Start a daily Article-A-Day routine with ReadWorks to build vocabulary and comprehension. ReadWorks is completely free and you can choose to assign the article to them for access on their computer or device, or to print the article. Use Scaffolding to Support Reading GrowthScaffolding is an instructional approach where you offer support as your child learns a new skill, then gradually step back as they gain confidence. When it comes to reading, scaffolding helps struggling readers tackle challenging texts without becoming overwhelmed. At home, scaffolding might look like:
Try It: Use ReadWorks question sets and reading comprehension worksheets to guide comprehension.  Focus on Sight Words to Build FluencyMany readers benefit from strengthening their recognition of common sight words—words that often can’t be sounded out easily and appear frequently in texts. Mastering these words can make reading smoother and more automatic. Here’s a short breakdown of common sight words, which are grouped by type:
Try It: Explore ReadWorks' full library of content for younger readers.  Let Children Choose What They ReadGiving students the chance to choose something that truly interests them—whether it's sports, fantasy, or science—can make a big difference in how they approach reading. What matters most is that they’re engaged with texts that feel enjoyable and accessible. All that leads to one question. What does your child like reading? Here are a few ideas to figure that out:
Try It: Try ReadWorks Reading Mindset Snapshot. It's a quick survey for students to complete that helps you choose what they might like to read from our library! Supporting your child's reading at home this summer doesn't have to be complicated. A few simple strategies can make a big difference. Even short, consistent efforts can help struggling readers build confidence and make steady progress.
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Free Cross-Curricular Apple Activities for Grades K–3 (Science, Social Studies, and the Arts)8/12/2025 If you’re looking for a fun, easy way to bring fall into your classroom and hit multiple standards at once, apple-themed cross-curricular teaching might be just what you need. These free apple activities for grades K–3 combine reading, science, social studies, and the arts – with zero complicated prep. Whether you're planning a fall unit or just want to try something new, these carefully curated ReadWorks articles and hands-on activities will make your lessons meaningful, engaging, and standards-aligned. Why Use Cross-Curricular Teaching?Cross-curricular teaching connects multiple subject areas through a shared theme or topic. Instead of teaching science, reading, and social studies in separate chunks, you’re helping students explore how these areas fit together in a meaningful way. For young learners, this approach mirrors how they naturally learn – by making connections across experiences. And there’s strong research to back it up. A 2021 meta-analysis published in Scientific Studies of Reading reviewed 35 experimental and quasi-experimental studies on integrated instruction. The findings were clear: when literacy was used to teach science or social studies content, students showed significant gains in vocabulary, reading comprehension, and content knowledge – especially in grades K–5. In fact, students in these integrated classrooms made nearly a full grade level more growth in vocabulary compared to their peers in traditional settings. You can explore the full research summary here: Scientific Studies of Reading – Integrated Literacy and Content Instruction With this in mind, let’s dive into these fun and engaging apple activities – each one starting with a high-quality, FREE article from our ReadWorks collection! 
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Bound workbook format
Our workbooks are designed with a high-quality binding that makes them sturdy and easy to transport wherever you go. It’s easy to take Summer of ReadWorks workbooks in the car, slip it into a bag, or pack it into a suitcase. No matter where you plan to go or what activities you have planned for the summer, your Summer of ReadWorks workbook can come along for the ride, providing an engaging way for your reader to build valuable reading comprehension skills. Eight weeks of pre-planned learning
To provide your reader with consistent learning this summer, it’s important to structure your reading comprehension strategy. Structure your reader’s entire summer for approximately $3 per week! Once the school year ends, many students’ learning slows down. We’ve created a lesson plan for your child so you don’t have to! Give your reader the opportunity to boost their reading comprehension this summer by simply having your reader follow along with each week of content in the workbook over the eight-week period. Tips for parents are contained inside the workbook. Diverse content, beautiful illustrations
With high-interest content and eye-catching illustrations, our curation of ReadWorks passages will keep your reader hooked! Our workbook covers a wide range of topics to ensure maximum content diversity over the 8-week period. Each week is a new topic for your reader to explore! Our passages delve into topics including space, animals, music, sports, nature, travel, and more. There’s something to interest every reader, and plenty of opportunities for your reader to discover something completely new. The rich images and illustrations that accompany nearly every passage keep readers engaged with the content. EXCLUSIVE physical Book of Knowledge
Workbooks include a new physical Book of Knowledge for your reader to record and synthesize what they’ve learned. In addition to cementing new knowledge to memory, the Book of Knowledge physically accumulates a summer’s worth of your reader’s new insights. The knowledge readers record act as a springboard for tackling new content more effectively. Parents and students can easily refer to the Book of Knowledge to track and assess the tangible progress made in their reading development throughout the summer. |
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A sneak peek of the Summer of ReadWorks workbook!
See what a real-life Summer of ReadWorks workbook looks like!
 Image of two passages from the "Interesting Pets" topic in the 4th grade workbook. |  Image of the personalizable Book of Knowledge cover page. |
Each weekly topic is comprised of five illustrated high-quality texts, each of which correspond to a section of the Book of Knowledge. Our personalizable Book of Knowledge allows readers to record what they’ve learned inside our simple and organized guide.
Set up your reader for a summer of learning and growth today. Check out Summer of ReadWorks workbooks now!
Written by:
Samuel Siegel, Marketing & Development Specialist
Samuel Siegel, Marketing & Development Specialist
