Hellobee

Listen, I love summer break as much as the next teacher, but let’s be real for a sec. Summer break is long! And, let’s face it, the American school system’s calendar is really outdated and could stand to be revisited and revised so that we have more intermittent breaks throughout the year rather than an almost 3-month long break over the summer. But, since most of us do have that loooong summer break, the Summer Slide is definitely real and something to try to combat. In short, the Summer Slide is the regression that happens when children are not actively engaged in learning over 3 months, particularly in the area of reading. Because of this, it’s pretty typical to see students enter the next grade level at the same reading level from the previous year or even below where they left off.

Now, if you’ve been reading my posts here at Hellobee for a while, you know I’m a strong supporter of play and exploration and pretty much anti-worksheet. So, while I think it’s extremely important to help school-aged children maintain and even gain their reading skills throughout the summer, I also think it’s extremely important to help keep that maintenance work fun and exciting! After all, it is summer, no matter how long it may be.

Below you’ll find some fun ways to keep your little reader reading and learning over the summer… And though the Summer Slide usually affects reading, I’ve also included writing activities because the reading and writing processes are very closely linked, and I’ve also included some math activities since it’s always great to keep math fun and genuine, too! Also, keep in mind that for children who are in primary grades (K-2), there are a limited number of commercial books that they will be able to read independently. In those cases, reading together or reading to your child will most definitely still help combat the Summer Slide!

1. Read a chapter book with a grown-up and then watch the movie version. Talk about similarities and differences between the movie and the book. Then decide which you liked better. Some great titles are Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, Paddington,  James and the Giant Peach, Mary Poppins, Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs (picture book), How to Train Your Dragon, and Charlotte’s Web.

2. Take favorite books and turn them into Reader’s Theatre or puppet shows. Mo Willems’ Elephant and Piggie books are especially great for this!

3. Write letters to your classmates or teachers. (I always give students my home address at the end of the year so they can write to me. You can always send your teacher a letter at the school’s address — they’ll get it before you come back to school, or, you can write a letter to your principal since she probably works all throughout the summer!)

4. Write a letter to next year’s teacher and give it to her on the first day of school!

5. Estimate how many steps it takes to get to the mailbox. Walk there and count your steps. Did you guess more or less? Use your data from your estimate and result to estimate how many steps it would take to get to the nearest fire hydrant.

6. Write a letter to your favorite author and tell her why you love her books.

7. Read a book and then dress up like your favorite character from the book. Create a theme meal from the book and eat it in costume.

8. At the grocery store, start with the number 0 and see if you can find the numbers 0-9 on different signs and labels. Start over after you’ve found them and see how many different times you can get from 0-9.

9. Set up a Skype or FaceTime date with a relative or friend that lives far away. Read them your favorite book or recite a favorite poem to them.

10. Pick up a nonfiction book and a fiction book about your favorite animal. Read them and then compare how many of the animal’s traits and behaviors in the fiction book are real vs. made up for the story.

11. Grab a bucket of Legos and a pair of dice. Take turns with a buddy rolling the dice and grabbing that number of Lego pieces and building something. See if you can continue to add on to your creation with the number of pieces from each roll.

12. Look for words you know in newspapers and magazines. Cut them out and make a collage.

13. If you’re going on a trip or vacation, find a book about that place at the library or book store. Read about where you are going and write a plan for things you’d like to do or see.

14. Play hopscotch to practice your numbers. If you know numbers 1-10 really well, start at 11 and go to 20 or start at 91!

15. Find a kids cookbook you are interested in, pick out a recipe you think you’d like, read it, and make a new meal!

16. Write a list of all the summer insects you know. Go on a nature walk and see how many you can find! Then, read a book about your favorite. Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Busy Spider, or The Grouchy Ladybug are great ones!

17. Start a book club with your friends! Set a stopping point for each meeting and when you get together, talk about your favorite parts, something that surprised you, what you think is going to happen next, and/or something you didn’t like. Some great early chapter books for rising second graders are the Henry and Mudge series, Poppleton series, and Mr. Putter and Tabby series, all by Cynthia Rylant.

18. Spin a globe and keep your finger on it (or point to a world map with your eyes closed). Find a book about wherever your finger lands and read about that place. How is similar or different to where you live?

19. Read I Wanna Iguana. Write a letter to your grown-up about something you reeeeeeally want. Maybe they’ll write you back like Alex’s mom did!

20. Ask your grown up if you can earn a nickel or dime for doing some basic chores. Count by 5s or 10s to see how much you have at the end of the week. How many chores will you need to do until you can earn a dollar and spend it at the dollar store?

21. Make a pudding bag. Practice writing words you know on it and then eat up the pudding!

22. Paint your words with water outside. What’s the longest word you can write before the first letter starts to evaporate?

23. Read Blueberries for Sal. Find a place to go blueberry picking (or whatever fruit is in season by you!) — can you do a better job sticking with your grown-up than Sal did?

24. Grab a deck of cards and a friend/brother/sister/grown-up and play War. For an added challenge, change it up so that whoever has a lesser number wins, or flip over two cards at a time and add them.

25. Set a reading goal for yourself. How long do you think you can read without stopping? Can you beat your record next week?