Research shows the “Summer Slide” can put kids months behind where they left off at the end of the school year.
Reading during the summer can help minimize the effects, and nowadays you have more options than ever.
For starters, mini-libraries like the “Dream Boxes” in the University Area have been popping up in neighborhoods — and you don’t need money or any kind of status to use them.
“That’s the whole point of the dream box,” said Sarah Combs, who works with the University Area Community Development Corporation. “You don’t have to be a certain age to utilize it and you don’t have to have permission. It’s open to the community. You walk up, you grab a book, and you return it.
The box provides a free gateway for all ages.
Many have books for teens, best-selling novels, even touch and feel books for small children.
And they are the perfect antidote to the “Summer Slide.”
“The idea is that we’ll be able to help during the summer,” said Combs. “We hear a lot from kids about learning loss during the summer. So for us, it’s great to really roll this out before the summer starts. So we give not only children but parents access and resources to be able to promote literacy and create reading programs.”
Michael Bingham, Jr. lives in the area and is a member of the University Are Leaders Collective.
He says reading is a great supplement to the sports and activities his kids are involved in during summertime…all SEVEN of them!
“They actually love it,” said Bingham, Jr. “So now with the kids being out for the summer, I think it’s a great incentive for them to have access to other things other than recreational activity. So they have literacy!”
If you prefer traditional spaces, most local book stores have a teenage section featuring hot sellers with high schoolers.
“Choose your own adventure” books are never boring because there are so many different endings, and they give kids more control–which keeps many of them coming back to read more.
Whether it’s at a store, a library or a park, an adventure in the mind is right around the corner.
There are also “reluctant reader” books at many libraries to help you get those kids involved who don’t love to read.
CORRECTION: In the video for this story, Combs is mistakenly identified as being with USF. She is with the University Area Community Development Corporation.
