The lazy days of summer are celebrated by Indiana students and parents – but in between trips to the pool and the inevitable video-game session, educators say reading has to be made part of the routine. According to the organization Reading is Fundamental (RIF), students experience from a one- to three-month loss of reading skills in the summer if they don’t continue to read regularly. Laura Walters, manager of programs with RIF, says reading doesn’t have to start with books.
Walters says younger children should read for at least 15 minutes a day during the summer and older kids should read for a minimum of half an hour. The latest ISTEP scores dipped in Indiana for reading, but school districts want them thrown out because they’re based on new, more rigorous standards.
Ed DeLeon, the chief program and content officer with RIF, says regardless of a student’s intended profession, reading skills are an indicator of future success.
Walters says while an incentive program for children to read in the summer can help, the best strategy is taking them to the library to let them choose the books or publications that interest them most.
Organizations such as RIF, Read 2 Succeed and others often offer free summer reading books for children.