Summer Reading

Reading is a lifelong skill that benefits students of all ages. As a teacher, I have seen that a student who is a good reader will be more successful in almost every subject in school. This is one learning area that children can continue to work on all summer. And it can be fun!

The goal is to encourage your children to read and improve their comprehension as well. You can help with this easily.

Here are some tips on how you can do this:

• Read with your child. It will help your child improve his or her skills while creating special memories.
• Choose stories to read together.
• Listen to each other read.
• Take turns reading a chapter (or even a page) aloud.
• Talk about what you read. Supplemental activity guides and discussion questions are great tools to help direct your conversations with your kids.
• Ask kids what they would do if they were the characters in the story.
• Discuss what you all think will happen next.

When children share their thoughts about a story, you can informally check for understanding. It will also help your child to think about what they are reading, a skill important for improving reading comprehension.

Where can you read? Anywhere! Curl up in a comfy chair or read a chapter together at the table after dinner. Throw a blanket over a couple of chairs and make a reading fort to go on a reading adventure. Lie down under a tree and let the birds listen too! Curl up together before bedtime. Just turn off the television, put down your mobile device and read!

Looking for resources? We can help! Boys Town Press is the publishing division of Boys Town - a mission-driven organization that knows how to work in the most challenging environments, with the highest need kids. Our publications are based on the proven techniques used in our Boys Town Programs. When you purchase from Boys Town Press, you help support our mission of strengthening children, families and communities through our life-changing care.

Boys Town Press produces resources for educators, parents, and other youth-serving professionals, that give practical, real-world skills you can use to manage behavior, build strong relationships, and teach social skills to children. With reading materials perfect for every age group, you will find great titles to read with your children. Then check out the discussion questions and supplemental activity guides to help improve comprehension.

This article originally appeared on Boys Town’s Parenting blog.