5 ways to help your kid learn to love reading and writing over the summer
Reading and writing are one of the most important things children can learn. Students learn these skills at different rates and may need a little bit of time to work on certain elements of reading comprehension or writing during the summer months. These tasks can either seem like a difficult chore or can be a really fun part of a student’s daily schedule depending on how they view reading and writing. There are lots of ways to help kids learn to love reading and writing over the summer so they can be successful during the school year and refine these important building blocks of learning – our experienced Los Angeles reading and English tutors will have your kids reading and writing at a higher level.
1. Age appropriate
Books and other texts should always be age-appropriate for a particular kid. If they happen to be a little bit behind their current grade level, they may need to read books that are at an easier level but still interesting for a child of their current age. If parents are struggling to find age-appropriate material they should talk to their kid’s classroom teacher or a librarian who can point them in the right direction. If a student is reading books they find to be too childish; they probably won’t love reading; the age-appropriate material is a really important element of their improvement.
2. An enjoyable environment
Sitting at a desk is not always the most comfortable environment to work on reading and writing skills. Kids might want to study in the kid’s section of the local library, on a comfy couch, or even outside under a tree in the shade. When kids are more comfortable, they tend to enjoy reading and writing and view it as something positive rather than an obligation they’ll try to avoid.
3. Make reading social
Reading and writing don’t have to be solitary activities. In fact, many students learn better in a social environment where they are encouraged by their peers and can share exciting learning experiences and goals. Younger students might go to story time at a local library or bookstore whereas older students might work on their writing skills at a local coffee shop or café with a few motivated friends. Although it’s great for reading and writing activities to be social it’s still important for students to have a quiet enough environment to be able to concentrate on the more challenging aspects of these core subjects.
4. A topic of their choice
Students avoid reading because they’re bored or disinterested in a particular topic. If students are going to read extensively over the summer they should be able to pick topics or subjects they are particularly interested in. Kids might be into dinosaurs and adventure books, or they might prefer to read about biographies or nonfiction. It’s essential for kids to be able to actively participate in their learning by choosing what they’ll read about, so they learn to love reading and education in general.
5. Combine reading and writing
Although reading and writing are separate subjects they’re actually heavily intertwined. Kids can learn to love these two subjects by working on them together. Perhaps students can write a summary paragraph after each chapter they read or create a magazine publication about a character in a book they admired. Reading and writing go hand-in-hand and so it’s important for students to learn where they connect so they can improve both of these important academic skills.
Our private Los Angeles reading and English tutors are here to help your kid succeed. Call us today for more information.