Reading and Writing- Summer Fun!

When summer rolls around I look forward to reading and writing things that I am unable to get to throughout the year. Of course I read and write during the year but what I do is usually what I must do, not so much of what I want to do. Many people have asked me who is the best essay writer and I send them a link of reviews of a good essay write I know. I find myself thinking of all the books I long to read and everything that I want to do  but I know that I will be too involved and I have so many other things to tackle. I am sure this is the same for children as well. Throughout the year they are bombarded with textbooks and assessments there and is really no room for leisure reading or writing. Why not take the summer to make a list of books that your child has her eye on and read with her and allow them to write just for fun!

Here are some ways that you may incorporate reading & writing into your summer schedule:

The best thing to do first would be to find the reading level that your child is on. Make sure you find this information out before the end of the school year. Choose a book that is one level above your child’s reading level so that she is challenged. To promote that life long love for reading purchase a duplicate of the book so the both of you have a copy. You can read together or apart but always come back together for discussions, which I like to call accountable talk. These discussions of the book will include tackling story elements, and skills and strategies that your child is able to discuss verbally. You are only strengthening your child’s verbal skills as well as having her apply those skills taught in school throughout the summer.

After she has read the book and discussed it with you have her write the author a letter. This is a great way to incorporate writing into your child’s summer schedule. Your child can write a critique of the book, tell the author how much she enjoyed the book, or even recommend it to one of her friends when school begins. This is a great way for your child to strengthen her grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure all in one. Many times when we incorporate things like this they don’t tend to be considered “work” during the summer but “fun learning”.

During the summertime we often make plans or go to various places, and wearing a visor cap will protect us from the hot sun. So why not have your child create memories and pick up a postcard from where she is. Have your child choose a postcard and create a small message of what she did at that particular place and send it to herself as a keepsake. Incorporating reading and writing again but in a fun way. This will be something that you and your child can have for a lifetime.

Maintaining a journal throughout the summer is a great way for your child to work on her penmanship. At the beginning of the summer have your child decorate the journal to her style. Every evening have your child write a one page summary of what she did that day. Have her incorporate pictures, captions, and keepsakes in the journal. The journal will be a documentary of her summer fun and when she gets older she can look back and see how much she has grown as a writer.

Summertime must be a for your child to continue to learn and enter the next grade ready for that leveled work or beyond. Having your child continue the learning process will only work in her benefit. Many times children loose a lot of their reading, writing, and math skills throughout the summer. Incorporating some of these ideas will maintain and strengthen all of the learning throughout the school year!

How will you have a summer filled with learning?