Updated April 2024
10 Tips for Success: Kindergarten Book Lovers Keep Reading All Summer Long!
Resources for summer learning!
Photos used with permission from parents and educators
Powerful kindergarten literacy gains can easily be lost over the summer, especially by our emerging readers and writers who are still building foundational literacy skills. Wise kindergarten teachers have developed strategies to continue supporting family reading, vocabulary, and language development over the summer. Read about 10 of our best strategies!
Keep the love of reading alive! Develop a nightly reading at home ritual and encourage families to bring back the out-loud culture with songs, poems, and rhymes!
1. Create a culture of book lovers ALL year long: Reading Is Fun!
Honor the art and science of reading instruction: We know how to create a kindergarten of book lovers and build phonemic awareness and phonics skills! All year long children interact with quality fiction and nonfiction, Read and Sing Books, and poems, songs, and rhymes—all worth reading again and again. Kids simultaneously build oral language fluency and comprehension, which is a vital component of the science of reading.
During the last week of school, we invite children to recite the rhyme “Reading Is Fun” and once again and we brainstorm where they will read this summer (in their bed…under a tree…at the beach…at the library). Make a list of amazing places to read!
2. Plan for your school to open the library one morning a week all summer long.
Parents and staff volunteers can make family reading a summer priority. When this is not possible, work with local used bookstores and service organizations to donate books for young readers.
Establish a school-wide summer reading program. Make your summer reading program a high-priority commitment! Encourage parents to read to their children and read with their children. All. Summer. Long.
Some children benefit from additional practice with phonics-based books such as Books by Bob. Ask your literacy coordinator to provide take-home books for phonics practice and a list of favorite library books for emergent readers.
3. Give children a summer reading log
Invite families to RECORD all of the picture books and quality phonics-based books they read and reread together during the summer. Students proudly bring the reading logs back in September. (Some prolific readers may want to take 5 reading logs! Let them.) Each child can return their logs to their first grade teacher in the fall: Hurray for prolific readers! Have a school celebration of book lovers.
4. Remind families to memorize, recite and read the rhythmic language of songs, poems, and rhymes, from their child’s "I Can Read" Anthology Notebook pages.
Children will continue to build oral language, vocabulary, comprehension, and reading fluency as they delight in the rhythm, rhyme, and wondrous sounds of language.
5. Share information with families about your local public library summer reading programs. Give families lists of well-loved children’s books to look for on their trips to the library.
Download printable PDF list of books (taken from A Family Guide to Growing Readers on TPT)
6. Give each family a copy of this resource. Keep joy and playfulness alive!
Encourage families to keep the love of learning alive and to value unstructured childhood play.
7. Give students a collection of your favorite Nellie Edge Read and Sing Little Books
8. Ask each family to carefully print two self-addressed envelopes or postcards.
Print on index weight paper
During the summer, write to each child. In return, the child is given two addressed envelopes or postcards so they can write to their teacher. Children love to send and receive mail. This will encourage them to continue their passion for reading, drawing, and “Kid Writing” all summer long. Ask families to invite aunties and grandpas to become summer writing buddies.
- Download Miss Mary Mack Postcard
- Download Teddy Bear Postcard
9. Give each child a blank drawing/writing book to use as a Science Journal or Summer Writing Book.
Download these 4 printables
Printable samples are from Kindergarten Writing Workshop on TPT
Writers’ Celebration with Katie Nelson and Nellie Edge
This is a lovely way to send children out the door after your end-of-year celebration. Each kindergartner receives an award, a hug, and two summer journals. Blank books are available from barebooks.com or at the Dollar Store.
Encourage each child to verbalize their summer reading goals and learning projects during the last week of school…“This summer, I want to learn about…”
10. Give the gift of a favorite paperback book to each child.
“Happy summer reading to a boy who loves books!” (Scholastic Book Club has GREAT prices on quality books: Save a few extra copies every month.)
Research Consistently Shows That Giving Children Book Choice and Access to Quality Books Enhances Reading Achievement over the Summer
Summer Reading: Closing the Rich/Poor Reading Achievement Gap by Richard Allington, 2012
We believe our role in building joyful family learning connections may be one of the most important contributions we make toward creating healthy schools and healthy communities. Remind families to sing, talk, dance, and read with their children and HAVE FUN!
SMILES!
Nellie Edge
Learn more: Visit Nellie Edge Kindergarten on TPT
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