Summer Reading - Tips for Parents for Helping Fight Learning Loss

Learning loss as a result of COVID-19 is a concern for all of us. Keeping kids reading and learning this summer is more important than ever. So we’ve updated our summer reading tips for parents to help you help your child keep growing as a reader and learner: 
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1. The knowledge your child has about the world has always been one of the most important factors in their success as readers. Unfortunately, many children missed out on learning new topics this spring in school. Taking time this summer to read high-quality, engaging nonfiction is a great way to build the knowledge your child needs to become a successful reader.
   
   
2. Following their interests can motivate your child to read. Help your child figure out what they want to learn about and support them in finding ways to read about the topics they’re interested in. Then let them explore how much they can learn from reading! 
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3. Learning new things is like velcro: we learn even more when we read texts that are related to each other by topic because the knowledge from each new article sticks to what we just learned just like the two sides of velcro! When your child finds a topic that interests them, help them find multiple texts to read about it.
   
   
4. 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.
   
   
5. Access to high-quality texts is still key! As your child looks to keep learning after a challenging spring, it’s even more important to make sure that they can get their hands on books and articles that are engaging and well-written.

ReadWorks has 3 easy ways to support all of these tips for your child’s summer reading at home: 
The Summer of ReadWorks is a subscription for parents of children entering 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade. Parents receive hand-picked nonfiction reading and enriching activities tailored to the levels and interests of their child for only $15.99 per family for the whole summer: https://www.readworks.org/summer-of-readworks

ReadWorks also has free printable packets of nonfiction and fiction reading passages for summer. Packets have questions and answer guides and are for children entering 1st-12th grade. You can preview and download them here: www.readworks.org/summer-reading 
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The Student Library. Give your child access to the free ReadWorks Student Library so they can explore their interest independently all summer. Watch this video to learn how to turn it on: https://vimeo.com/405263649