Summer is a time for children to relax, play, explore, spend time outside, and enjoy a break from the regular school routine.

So where does reading fit in?

Is summer reading really important?

Yes—but summer reading doesn't need to mean assigned books, reading logs, or turning vacation into another semester of school.

Reading during the summer gives children opportunities to continue using the skills they've developed during the school year, discover new interests, build knowledge and vocabulary, and experience reading for enjoyment.

The key is making summer reading successful, interesting, and appropriate for the child.

Why Is Summer Reading Important?

Reading is a skill that becomes stronger through use.

During the school year, children encounter print throughout the day—in books, assignments, classroom activities, writing, and other subjects.

Summer changes that routine.

A child who reads regularly during the summer continues interacting with written language even when school isn't in session.

That can provide opportunities to practice:

• decoding and word recognition
• reading fluency
• vocabulary
• comprehension
• background knowledge
• attention to meaning
• reading stamina

But there is another benefit that's just as important:

Summer gives children an opportunity to discover that reading can be something they choose to do.

Summer Reading Shouldn't Feel Like an Assignment

One of the easiest ways to make a reluctant reader even less interested in reading is to turn every book into work.

Read this many pages.

Answer these questions.

Write a summary.

Finish this reading log.

Those activities sometimes have an instructional purpose, but they don't have to accompany every summer book.

Sometimes a child should simply be allowed to read and enjoy the experience.

Talk about books naturally.

Ask:

What was your favorite part?

Was anything funny or surprising?

What do you think is going to happen next?

Would you want to be friends with that character?

That's very different from quizzing a child after every chapter.

Let Children Choose What They Read

Choice can be especially valuable during summer.

Take children to the library and let them browse.

They might choose:

• fiction
• nonfiction
• graphic novels
• biographies
• joke books
• magazines
• books about animals
• sports books
• science books
• craft books
• cookbooks
• books connected to a favorite hobby

A child fascinated by sharks might happily read several books about sharks without ever thinking of it as “summer reading practice.”

That's exactly the kind of reading we want to encourage.

Keep the Reading Level Appropriate

Interest matters, but so does difficulty.

If every book a child attempts is frustrating, summer reading can quickly become something to avoid.

Children need opportunities to read material they can handle successfully.

That doesn't mean children should never encounter challenging books.

It means we can separate two valuable experiences:

Books children can read themselves provide opportunities to practice reading skills.

More challenging books read aloud by an adult expose children to richer vocabulary, information, stories, and ideas without requiring them to decode every word independently.

Children can benefit from both.

Keep Reading Aloud During the Summer

Don't stop reading aloud just because your child has started reading independently.

Reading aloud allows children to enjoy books that may be beyond their current independent reading ability.

It can also become an enjoyable family routine.

Try reading:

• before bed
• after lunch
• outside under a tree
• at the beach
• during a picnic
• on the porch
• while traveling

For longer books, read one chapter each day and let everyone anticipate what will happen next.

Summer reading doesn't always have to mean the child reads to the adult.

Sometimes the adult should simply read a wonderful book to the child.

Visit the Library Regularly

The library can become one of your best summer resources—and it's free.

Instead of making one large trip at the beginning of summer, consider visiting regularly.

Let children return books they've finished and browse for something new.

Many libraries also offer summer reading programs, story times, clubs, crafts, performances, and other activities.

Make the library trip itself part of the summer routine rather than treating books as an assignment brought home from school.

Connect Reading With Your Child's Summer Activities

Reading becomes especially meaningful when children need the information for something they already want to do.

Going camping?

Read about animals you might encounter.

Planting a garden?

Look up how to care for the plants.

Going fishing?

Read about local fish.

Taking a trip?

Learn about the destination.

Want to make homemade ice cream?

Read the recipe together.

Found an unusual insect in the backyard?

Find out what it is.

Now reading has a purpose:

We want to know something, and print can help us find out.

Let Reading Lead to Doing

Some children are much more enthusiastic about reading when the book doesn't represent the end of the activity.

Let the reading lead somewhere.

After reading, children might:

• draw a favorite scene
• act out part of the story
• build something mentioned in the book
• make a recipe
• conduct an experiment
• visit a related place
• research a question
• create something inspired by the story

For example, a child reading about volcanoes might want to build a model volcano.

A child reading about birds might want to make a bird feeder.

A child reading a story involving a treasure map might want to create one.

Reading becomes the beginning of an experience rather than an isolated task.

Audiobooks Count, Too

Audiobooks can be wonderful during summer.

Listen in the car, during quiet time, while working on a puzzle, or before bed.

Audiobooks allow children to enjoy stories and information that may be above their independent reading level.

You can also pair an audiobook with the printed book so a child can follow along when appropriate.

Listening doesn't replace learning to read independently, but it can be another valuable way for children to experience language, vocabulary, stories, and ideas.

What About Beginning Readers?

Beginning readers benefit from continued opportunities to practice the skills they've been learning.

Keep practice manageable.

A few successful minutes can be more productive than a long reading session filled with frustration.

Choose books that allow the child to apply the phonics, word-recognition, and other reading skills they've already learned.

Child1st's Easy-for-Me™ Children's Readers can provide connected-text practice using skills children are learning through the Easy-for-Me™ Reading system.

Continue reading more advanced books aloud so your child's enjoyment of stories isn't limited by their current decoding ability.

What If My Child Is a Struggling Reader?

For a child who already finds reading difficult, simply assigning more summer reading may not address the problem.

First consider where the difficulty begins.

Does the child struggle to:

• hear and manipulate sounds in words?
• remember letter-sound relationships?
• blend sounds into words?
• recognize spelling patterns?
• recognize familiar words automatically?
• read smoothly?
• understand what was read?

The answer matters because different difficulties require different instruction.

If reading has become frustrating, summer can actually provide a useful opportunity to work on a specific area without the daily pressures of school.

Read more: How to Help a Struggling Reader Catch Up

Don't Forget Writing

Reading and writing reinforce one another.

Summer provides many natural reasons to write.

Children can:

• keep a simple summer journal
• write postcards
• send letters
• caption vacation photos
• make lists
• write instructions
• create stories
• make a family newspaper
• write about something they learned

A child can also read their own writing afterward.

Read more: How Writing Helps Children Learn to Read

Make Summer Reading Social

Books don't always have to be solitary.

Family members can read the same book.

Siblings can recommend books to one another.

A child and grandparent can read the same story and talk about it.

Friends can swap books.

You can even have a casual family book night where everyone brings something they've been reading and shares one interesting thing about it.

The emphasis doesn't need to be on accountability.

It's about creating a family culture in which reading is something people actually do.

How Much Should Children Read During the Summer?

There isn't one magic number of minutes or books that's appropriate for every child.

Age, reading ability, interests, attention, and individual needs all matter.

Instead of becoming overly focused on a number, work toward a regular reading habit.

For one child, that might mean reading independently before bed.

For another, it might mean a combination of independent reading, audiobooks, and family read-alouds.

A beginning or struggling reader may also need short periods of targeted instruction or practice.

Consistency matters more than making every reading session long.

What If My Child Says, “I Hate Reading”?

Don't immediately respond with:

“You just haven't found the right book.”

That might be true—but it might not be.

Try to understand what's behind the statement.

Is reading difficult?

Are the books uninteresting?

Is the child tired of being corrected?

Are the books too hard?

Does reading feel like another assignment?

Would the child rather read nonfiction, comics, instructions, magazines, or books connected with a hobby?

A child who avoids reading because decoding is difficult needs something different from a capable reader who simply hasn't found reading material that captures their interest.

The first child may need instruction.

The second may need choice and opportunity.

Some children need both.

Summer Reading Is Part of Summer Learning

Reading doesn't have to stand alone.

It can be woven naturally into everything else children do during summer:

read → explore → build → cook → travel → investigate → write → create

That's why summer learning doesn't need to look like a workbook.

A trip to the library followed by a nature walk, a book about insects, an afternoon investigating something found under a rock, and a drawing labeled with what the child discovered can involve reading, science, vocabulary, writing, observation, and curiosity—all while still feeling like summer.

For more ideas, see:

How to Prevent Summer Learning Loss: 27 Fun Learning Activities

Frequently Asked Questions

Is summer reading important for children?

Yes. Summer reading gives children continued opportunities to use reading skills, encounter vocabulary and information, build knowledge, and enjoy books while school is out. The experience should be appropriate for the child's reading ability and interests.

Can children lose reading skills over summer?

Summer learning patterns vary considerably among children. Research has found that some students show declines on academic assessments during summer while others maintain their skills or make gains. Rather than assuming every child will lose a specific amount of learning, provide regular opportunities to read, write, think, and use important skills throughout the summer.

Should my child read every day during summer?

Daily reading can be a useful routine, but there isn't one schedule that's right for every family or child. Aim for regular, enjoyable reading opportunities rather than allowing a missed day or an arbitrary number of minutes to become a source of conflict.

Does listening to audiobooks count as reading?

Audiobooks support listening comprehension, vocabulary, knowledge, and enjoyment of stories. They don't provide the same decoding practice as independently reading print, so children who are learning to read still need opportunities to work with printed text. Both can be part of summer reading.

What should a struggling reader do during summer?

Rather than simply increasing the amount of reading, identify the skill that is making reading difficult and provide targeted instruction and practice. Continue reading interesting books aloud so the child can enjoy stories and build knowledge while developing independent reading skills.