Monfredo: Parents, Don’t Let the Summer Slide Enter Your Home

Saturday, June 22, 2019

John Monfredo, GoLocalWorcester MINDSETTER

School is out and this is the first weekend of summer vacation… BUT, remember, parents, learning time never takes a vacation. Could the summer slide be lurking around the corner? The “Summer Slide” you ask so what does that have to do with learning? This is a term used to show the decline in reading ability and other academic skills that can occur over the summer months when school isn’t in session. Studies show that our children who don’t read during the summer vacation actually slip in reading ability by the time school begins in the late August. It’s like playing an instrument for if you don’t practice you tend to forget what you have learned.

So this summer what will your child be doing? If you have read my Go Local columns faithfully you know that literacy is an area that I have advocated for years and write lots of columns on its importance in the life of a child.

As a former principal I know how devastating the summer can be for some children if they are not engaged in learning activities. Many children, especially struggling readers, forget some of what they’ve learned or slip out of practice during the summer months. Remember the more that you read the better reader you become so we must continue advocating for reading during the summer months.

Here are some ideas that could improve your child’s learning this summer. One of my next stories will also center on the importance of math time in the summer. First let’s look at additional reading and writing ideas.

Enroll your child in a summer school program or camp program that encourages literacy development. Yes, in Worcester we have many… some in the Worcester Public Schools and others through United Way, Boys and Girl Clubs, Friendly House, Rainbow Child Development, YMCA, … just to name a few. Do it now!
Read five to six books this summer – Research shows that reading just five or six books during the summer may keep a struggling reader from regressing. In the selection of the books make sure they are not too hard or too easy. Books should be selected on the interest of the child. If you’re not sure what book will be best visit the Worcester Public Library and talk to one of the librarians. The libraries have lots of programs that motivate kids to read and they also have a copy of the Worcester schools reading list. As I stated in the past…IT’S THE BEST BARGAIN IN TOWN and all children should be brought to our city libraries especially in the summer time.
Read each day – encourage your child to take advantage of every opportunity to read…. In the morning it could be the comics in the newspaper or today’s weather report… in the afternoon look for recipes on the web and perhaps cook together… in the evening have your child read to you pages from the book that he/she is reading. Work on building fluency as your child reads. The rule is to read as one talks, not too fast and not too slow. It could be reading comic books, reading with a friend or just reading with a family member.
Encourage bed time reading – (it beats watching T.V.) allow your child to read in bed, and even allow them to stay up later as long as they are reading. The minimum time for reading should be a least 20 minutes a day!
Start a blog – Parents, you can create a blog for your child over the summer and share it with family and friends. You can also have them email friends and family members to enhance their writing skills.

Visit many of the sites in Worcester – ecotarium, art museum, and historical museum and have them get active at the YMCA, YWCA, Boys and Girls Club, Friendly House, Rainbow Child Development and a host of other social agencies.

Learning while you’re on vacation – If you are planning a vacation turn it into a social studies activity. Ask your child to research the destination’s history, their attractions, location, etc. Once there, schedule tours to add to their social studies experience.

Other ideas for writing …keep a journal - encourage children to write each and every day for they can write about how the day went and activities that they participated during the day. They can also write about what they are reading and what they think of the book.

Also, I would encourage children on a weekly basis to write to the Telegram and Gazette Sunday Happy Time Page. Every Sunday their name will appear with the number of points they get for writing their essay or poem.

Send in your stories to the following address:

Worcester Telegram and Gazette Happy Time Page

100 Front Street, Floor 5

Worcester MA 01608.

Remember, the more that you write the better writer you become and reading and writing together make learning lots of fun.

Another motivator this summer for reading is for your child to participate in BOOKWORM WEDNESDAY. The Showcase Cinema North in Worcester will allow your child in for a FREE MOVIE at 10:00 a.m. starting on Wednesday, July 10th if he/she presents a book report on one of the books that has been read during vacation time. Again, the admission to a FREE MOVIE is that BOOK REPORT and the parents get in free, too! So every Wednesday in the summer you can submit your book report to Cinema North and be treated to a movie. Also, Barnes and Nobles has a summer reading program that provides incentives for your child to earn a free book.

Remember, we read to write and write to read… Examples of writing activities could be writing a letter to a friend, relative, or even to a member of the School Committee, me! It’s important that your child writes for the more that they write, just like reading, the better he/she will become with this skill. In addition, be sure to have your child write about their favorite book that they read this summer and send their essay to me – John Monfredo, 8 Cherokee Road Worcester, Ma. 01606. I will select the winning essays from grades K to three, grades 4 to six, and from seven up. The winners will be rewarded with new books.

It’s now up to the adults and the community to encourage summer reading. I sincerely hope that I have raised the awareness of the importance of supporting summer literacy and helped by providing ideas that one can do at home. Parents, you are the child’s first and most important teacher and it is up to you to provide the needed guidance during the summer time. You can prevent the “summer slide” by making literacy a priority in your home. PLEASE pass this article on to your friends and relatives with children for we all need to be activists within our community. Let’s do it for the children!