What experts say parents should do to encourage kids to read this summer
MIAMI -- School is out for summer. But that doesn't mean students should completely put their books away. Reading is one of the best ways kids can combat the "summer slide," which is learning loss that can happen over the summer, according to experts.
To prevent the summer slide with her kids, a former teacher and mom of two gives them a choice of what to read.
"I think something really important is to encourage allowing them to have a choice in what they're reading," said Jenise Suberbi, a former seventh and eighth grade teacher whose kids are 6 and 9 years old.
Suberbi also makes fun outings out of going to the library — anything to make the experience exciting instead of a task. And she sets an example.
"They're gonna mimic the things that we're doing," said Suberbi. "I also read religiously before bed, that is like how I wind down, that's how I go to sleep. So they walk into our room all the time, and they see me reading."
Melanie Sheridan, a director with United Through Reading, a nonprofit that keeps military members connected with their families through story time, said it's important to "keep it fun."
"We don't want anything over the summer to feel like another chore or another piece of homework, so letting the kids lead, letting them choose the books that they want to read," she said.
Another way to turn reading into a fun activity is to pick books that have turned into movies or TV shows, so families can watch them together afterward.
The National Assessment of Education Progress reported a sharp decline in reading scores since 2020, with the average 13-year-old child declining four points since the 2019-2020 school year.
Third and fourth-grade kids also aren't reading for fun as much as they used to. According to Scholastic, 57% of 8-year-olds read for fun. That drops to 35% by age 9.