Why Summer Reading Matters
While enjoying all of that fun in the sun, set aside time for daily reading, too. It’s a great way to continuously develop learning skills while school is out, and prepare your child to enter the next grade with a bit more ease and confidence.
Summer reading helps children retain learning they acquired during the school year As they continue to read, or are read to, they are introduced to new vocabulary. The more words that they know and understand, the better able they are to understand what is happening in a story. Deeper comprehension leads to an ability to think critically about characters, the author’s purpose, and themes, and apply that understanding to the world.
Reading develops self-awareness, empathy, and understanding of the world.
Stories invite children to spend time in someone else’s shoes. Learning how characters feel helps develop empathy for others. Tailor your storytime to expand your child’s ability to understand other’s experiences.
Books are like an inexpensive vacation. A story’s setting transports readers to different places, situations, and outcomes. Experiencing different places and how characters interact with them helps children better understand their local, global, and digital worlds.
Through books, children see how they are part of communities – big and small. They learn how to work through emotions, handle a wide range of life experiences, and are better prepared to tackle situations and problems they will certainly face throughout their lives.
Making Time for Summer Reading
Finding the time, and even the place, for families to read every day can be a unique challenge, especially over the summer when routines are interrupted. However, this is precisely why summer offers the perfect opportunity to build, and continue building, strong reading routines and habits.
There are so many great ways to build time for everyone to read on their own. From packing books in the beach bag, listening to audiobooks during car rides, or scheduling daily reading time on the calendar.
But there continues to be something extra special about being read to. Not only does it create special bonds and memories, it builds a love of reading and generates all of those great reading outcomes mentioned earlier. According to Neuman, S. B., Copple, C., & Bredekamp, S., 2000, “reading aloud is foundational to becoming a successful reader.”
Let Novel Effect help with that! Novel Effect is a game-changer that elevates bedtime reading ritual to an immersive and interactive experience. While reading aloud, Novel Effect follows your voice and adds music, sound effects, and character voices at just the right moment. Suddenly, dragons roar, fairies sprinkle magic dust, and heroes claim the day! This makes stories and bedtime more engaging, enjoyable, and memorable.
More than that, Novel Effect is an active participant in your child’s learning journey. When stories become more than words on a page, children become more involved and invested. This works to increase comprehension, vocabulary, and critical thinking while building a love for reading. With Novel Effect, bedtime isn’t just more fun – it’s a stepping stone to success!
Ways to Make Summer Reading Fun
Book lovers know how much fun it is to read anytime, especially during the summer! even zealous page-turners love a good challenge! Whether you have a reluctant or ravenous reader, join a summer reading program to encourage reading momentum. According to Roman, Carran & Fiore, 2010, “participation in summer reading programs results in higher academic achievement.”
Summer reading programs and challenges are designed with the same goals in mind – build a love for reading to improve reading skills. Joining them is an easy and low-stakes way for families to create shared reading experiences. During a summer reading program or challenge, children typically set a reading goal, record the books they have read, and get recognized for their reading efforts. Even if your child doesn’t reach their final goal, they’ve accomplished something wonderful in the time spent immersed in reading.
Summer reading programs happen everywhere. Find them at your local library, nonprofit organization, or favorite fast food restaurant. To really turn up the volume on summer reading and achievement, check out Novel Effect’s Summer Reading Program. It’s a fun, screen-free activity for the whole family!
Novel Effect’s immersive, interactive, and engaging summer reading program captures children’s attention and keeps them motivated. Develop lifelong readers who explore new worlds, books and genres. And have fun doing it!
All summer long, build your budding bookworm’s literacy and language skills, and reading comprehension. They’ll skip the summer slide through engaging themes, conversation starters and book activities. All of this to build a foundation that supports a love for reading.
With a premium subscription, you and your family get exclusive access to Novel Effect’s Summer Reading Program. Which means all of the soundscapes, in-app eBooks, book activities and other exclusive content is unlocked. Plus, chances to win prizes all summer long!