Educators warn of summer slide in reading skills for kids

SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — School is out for the summer, and most kids are thinking about the pool, not so much the pages of a book, but experts say it’s important to keep their minds active.

“You have like two or three months of kids not actively engaging in any kid of learning, so when they go back to school and august and automatically take those beginning of the year tests, you’re seeing some progress that they gained in the last school year is gone,” says 2nd grade teacher Emily Cover.

Educators warn that without some structure students can lose key skills over the break, it’s called the summer slide, and reading is one of the best ways to fight it. Parents can achieve that, while still allowing their kids to have fun.

“You can set a goal, like were going to read two or three books this week and if we meet our goal, we can get ice cream at the end of the week. just different things like that, science projects, gardening, cooking, all of those things have numbers in them, math and things that they have to read,” explains Cover.

Local libraries also offer free summer reading programs with events to keep kids entertained and engaged.

Experts also recommend a light daily schedule, simple routines like consistent wake up times, limited screen time and a few learning activities can help ease the back-to-school transition.

“I think it’s just easier for those kids to jump back into school life because they have kept that regimen,” says Cover.