Director’s Corner
Summer is officially here! What comes to mind when you think about summer with your children? While taking them to the beaches, going on a hike or attending a summer festival sounds great, First 5 San Diego wants to remind every parent the importance of summer literacy. Studies have shown that students who don’t read during the summer will likely lose some academic ground they gained in the previous school year – a phenomenon known as “summer slide.” Talking, reading and singing to your children on a daily basis are important to develop your child’s language skills, build his/her vocabulary, improve reading fluency, and increase his/her IQ so they do better in school.
To prevent summer slide and help your children succeed in life, we listed a few summer reading programs that will not only encourage your child to read during the summer, but also allows him/her to win prizes! Later, you will find another article on some tips for you and your children to make summer reading fun.
- Read for the Win – Sign your child up for the San Diego County library’s Summer Reading Challenge, which runs from June 1 to August 31. Read 10 books or 10 hours to your child and he/she can win prizes from light-up ball to infuser water bottle to a variety of coupons to restaurants, museums and theme parks.
- Be a Reading Superhero – Join Scholastic and get your child reading more this summer! You can find free book lists and activities for your kids, and they can log minutes and earn rewards for reading. Event runs through September 9th.
- Chuck E. Cheese Reading Reward – Read for two weeks and get 10 free tokens! Mark off every day on Chuck E. Cheese’s Reading Rewards calendar for only 14 days to redeem 10 tokens for your kids!
- PBS Summer Reading Adventures – Beat the summer slide with fun projects, activities and ideas that spark learning. Join PBS’ “Do-It-Yourself Summer Reading Camp,” with everything you need to host 10 fun weeks of reading camp for your kids – a new theme each week!
Have a fun and safe summer!
Sincerely,
Kim Gallo