The long summer break is upon us once more. It’s time for the kids to kick back, play outside, indulge in some extra screen time and have zero worries for six weeks. However, how much downtime is too much? And how does that impact a child’s literacy?
Known as the ‘summer slide’, it’s common for kids to experience some element of regression in academic ability during the summer months. It’s something
that can hinder their progress when they do return to the classroom, so it’s important that their little brains are kept active and learning.
Thankfully, there are plenty of super-easy and totally free things we can do to use some of that downtime for good. In fact, they also double up as sanity savers for parents. #win-win
Easy ways to keep your child’s literacy up during the summer break
Play literacy games in the car
Whether it’s on the way to the supermarket or on a longer road trip, reading signs is a great way to get kids’ brains firing and a child’s literacy growing. Have them read signs aloud, or look for specific letters or numbers, or challenge them to make a sentence from letters on a number plate. All these activities also double as a delay in backseat squabbles and that inevitable question: ‘are we there yet?’
Order their own food
Eating out or grabbing a takeaway? Have the kids read the menu and order their own food. It’s a great confidence builder and another sneaky way to get them reading. Plus, it means you don’t have to cook.
Help with Christmas shopping
Making lists, helping at the supermarket, writing Christmas cards, these are all things that help enormously with their literacy. It can also take the load off a frazzled parent.
Try a new recipe each week
Why not have them choose a recipe from a book and help to cook? They can read the recipe out and measure ingredients as you cook together. Dinner, bonding and literacy—tick!
Visit the library
Stock up on great summer reads, including magazines, graphic novels and plenty of books at the local library. Then, when the ‘I’m bored’ complaints come drifting through, you have a pile of interesting reads to direct them, too.
Related Reads
How creative play can improve your child’s early literacy
Why the first five years REALLY matter for kids’ early literacy
Have a family game night
To keep your child’s literacy up and have family time, play games such as Scrabble or Monopoly together. When you start, ‘forget’ how to play so the kids have to pull out the instructions and read them out loud.
If games aren’t your thing, why not have a family story night where you make up stories to share?
Download ebooks and eAudiobooks
If you are going on a road trip, download an eAudio book to listen to together in the car, and rather than taking a pile of books, pack light and download eBooks to your device. eBooks and eAudiobooks are available for free from the library.
Plot out a journey
If you are going on a day trip, get the kids to plot out the journey. They can look for places for a picnic, petrol stops, and places of interest.
Join the Summer Reading Club
With prizes to be won and challenges to complete, the Summer Reading Club is a great way to get kids reading for fun and maintain a child’s literacy during the summer. Find out more at your local library.
For more information about Sunshine Coast Libraries, visit library.sunshinecoast.qld.gov.au
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