Five Ways to Stay Literacy Sharp Over the Summer

Five Ways to Stay Literacy Sharp Over the Summer

    When it comes to summer vacation, the last thing most kids want to do is practice reading and writing. Even my own 9-year-old son is saying, "But, it's summer vacation!" Yes, let's keep that in mind. Summer is a time to relax and have a break from school work, so let's talk about some reading and writing strategies to help your child stay engaged over the summer without bogging them down. 

Reading Challenges

    At the beginning of the summer, my son Parker signed up for a reading challenge at the local library. He is the type of kid who is motivated to read when there's a challenge involved. Last year, he reached his reading goal before the end of the summer, but ended up reading even more because he was into it. Our local libraries in Florida use Beanstack, but most libraries have some sort of challenge going on over the summer to promote reading. This is a good time to have your child choose books they enjoy, re-read old favorites, or choose an entertaining series. 

Play Word Games 

    My son, Parker, and I have really gotten into playing WordScapes, and I've found it's been a fun way for us to connect and work together to spell words. Other word games, such as Boggle, Scrabble, Bananagrams, or Scattergories are fun options as well. 

Journal Writing  

     While at Staples, Parker and I were looking in the journal section to buy an end of the year gift for one of my tutoring students, and he found a journal that he really liked. He decided he was going to use the journal to write about his experiences over the summer. He started the habit of writing in his journal for a few minutes at the end of each day. 

     

Friendly Letter Writing 

     Letter writing is a great way to practice writing to a specific audience. Especially over the summer, if you travel to new places, pick out a postcard and write to a friend or family member that may live far away. Where we moved to Florida, and all of our family is in Maine, this is something we are going to try. I think Parker would love writing to his cousins and grandparents and receiving letters in the mail too!

Field Trips and Explorations 

     Let's not forget about how educational field trips and exploring are for building vocabulary and background knowledge. Aquariums, zoos, museums, farms, and beaches are great places to learn specific vocabulary based on topics. Traveling to new places will build background knowledge through history and different cultures. 

Happy Summer! 🌞