What comes to mind when you think about summer with your children? Swimming? Summer camp? Barbecues? Music in the park? This year, why not make sharing books part of your family’s summer fun?

Teachers and literacy experts agree that children of all ages need to be read to or to read by themselves and to talk about books over the summer. When you read or talk to your young child about books, she develops important language skills, understandings about books and print, and knowledge about how stories are constructed that will help her to become a strong reader and writer. Your school-aged child’s summer reading and book discussions will help him maintain his reading skills, improve his reading fluency, and learn new vocabulary and concepts. Most importantly, when parents and children enjoy summer reading together, children develop a love of books and reading that lasts a lifetime.

Learn tips for weaving language and literacy activities into your child’s summer days and for helping your school-aged child tackle her school summer reading list with the articles below. In addition, you can explore links to summer reading lists and more.

Select a Topic:

• Summer Reading Tips for Parents of Babies, Toddlers and Young Children
• Summer Reading Tips for Parents of Kindergartners, First Graders and Readers & Writers
• Tackling School Reading Lists