Clear your mind, get away from books, who doesn't need it from time to time. And especially after a hard school year during which, often, children have read more than they wanted. Because, sometimes, reading is synonymous with studying, with nerves, a file that must be finished ... And it is logical (and necessary!) That, on vacation, we relax in this regard.
But leaving the mind "fallow reader" during the summer months has negative consequences for children. The total disconnection of reading for a couple of months can mean a setback in their learning, as several studies show. Specifically, stop reading in summer causes a setback of between two and three months in certain skills and a loss of lexicon in the brain.
And, as happens to an athlete who stops training, reading skills suffer a setback when we stop reading for a prolonged period of time. This is especially appreciated in children who are beginning to read (or who have been learning for a few years but have not yet achieved a fluent reading). The same would happen with other processes involved in reading: ability to understand, express, amplify vocabulary ...
It is what has become known as "loss of summer", "unlearning of summer" or "loss of learning in summer", which I think affects us all a little but is much more evident in children who are in the process of development and learning. And, although exhaustion is real after so many months of school and parentheses are necessary in the holidays, it is not necessary to isolate the child from the learning process, even if it is done differently, at another level, without exams, without pressures, without hurries ...
In this way, when they join the school again in September they have "charged batteries" and, while maintaining certain habits, there will be no setback in their learning but, on the contrary, the child will continue to take advantage of the multiple benefits of reading, also in summer and there will be a breakthrough in their skills.
In addition, the "summer loss" could be added year by year, or at least the authors of a study that analyzed this fact (in families of low socioeconomic status) saw it. While if the children were offered opportunities to continue learning and reading in the summer, those differences eased.
Fun readings for children in summer
So how to combine that need to relax and disconnect with that of keep the reader habit alive on vacation? The best way is to make books, stories, magazines ... not an obligation but a pleasure. We must offer children to choose the readings that they most want, lighter, of their favorite characters, which include hobbies, magazines, comics ...
Children's magazines and comics tend to be quite successful among children, are light and can be taken anywhere (to read in the car, a little while on the beach or in the pool ...). These readings amuse them a lot while stimulating their language, their creativity, imagination ... so that this reading facet is not left blank or completely disabled.
We can also read more often with them, and tell them or read stories, since sharing the moment of reading with parents is one of the activities that children appreciate most. And now, if we are lucky enough to have more free time, we can take advantage of the fact that we are more rested (at least psychically!) And there is not so much haste to end the day reading together, or at the time of the nap ...
Of course, we must not forget that at this time of the year more than ever we must take advantage of free and outdoor play, because children also need this type of activity, but, regarding summer children's readings, these are our tips:
Visit a bookstore to choose a book. They can also do it (and free, several times) in the library. Children must be given access to readings. If you are very friends with digital, there are also many children's stories to download on the tablet (but let's limit the exposure time to the screen).
Offer your child a variety of readings (always appropriate to their age): books (narrative, poetry, crafts, recipes ...), stories, children's magazines, comics ...
Holiday review books can be a good option if they are fun and for the child they become a fun and not an obligation. They usually include short readings adapted to the child's age.
Leave children's books at your fingertips, which you can find and pick up easily, on your shelves or even mixed with toys ...
Although schedules are relaxed in summer, we can look for a specific time for reading every day. Anyway, if we are not able or we see that it does not suit us, nothing happens if there are some days in which they do not read. The question is often to look for time for it, no matter if it is not at the same time.
Include in your game time activities that promote reading and writing: writing poetry, writing letters, songs, creating a vacation album, a travel notebook ...
Read or tell stories to your children, we become the best storyteller-actor for them and we can ask you to continue the story, think a different ending for the next day ...
Anyway, we have to do everything possible so that children do not stop reading in summer if we do not want them to suffer a setback in their skills and lose vocabulary, and, on the contrary, continue advancing in their learning. But above all because it is going to be lost and we are going to miss some good reading times. Stories can be among your favorite activities, also relaxed in summer.
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