Summer Literacy

Summer is here! Did you know that students can maintain and even improve their literacy skills over the summer just by having access to books and activities?

Try some new books from the local library and talk about them. You can keep books engaging by asking your child questions about the characters or plot of the book. Trips to nature preserves, local libraries, museums, relatives’ homes, zoos, playgrounds or even the backyard can provide chances for students to interact with new topics to read, write or talk about. 

If you need some inspiration feel free to try some of the following ideas to help you have fun and build your family’s literacy this summer. 

 

Summer Literacy Ideas

 

Washington County Public Library has various summer reading programs and events to incentivize reading.

• Kid, Teen and Adult summer reading challenges are available starting June 1. Completed challenge cards will earn you a reward book and enter your name into a prize drawing. 

 

Find books that follow your child’s interests and try broadening their horizons with new genres.

• Lexile & Quantile Hub - Find A Book can help you find a “just right” book for your child in a variety of genres. 

 

Audiobooks are a great way to engage readers and can also introduce students to books above their reading level and are perfect for summer road trips.  

• Overdrive’s Libby App through Washington County Library offers audiobooks, ebooks and digital magazines to checkout.

 

Encourage your family to write book or movie reviews, keep a journal or even write your own stories inspired by your experiences.

• The New York Times has a list of over 1,000 writing prompts to inspire journal entries or stories.

 

Screen time is almost unavoidable but it doesn’t always need to be seen as a negative. There are many free online learning platforms available. Integrating educational apps and monitoring screen time can help support your child's development in a balanced way.

• Khan Academy offers free online learning in nearly every subject at all grade levels K-12 including AP and college courses.

• Braingle has a caption-writing game that can activate your child’s creativity along with other free puzzles, trivia, ciphers and brain teasers.

• Scholastic Home Base is a free platform that offers stories, characters and book-based games for elementary-age students.

• Smithsonian Institution Kids offers a variety of free online activities that give students a chance to experience the Smithsonian museums from home through games and puzzles.

• Duolingo-ABC is a free app that teaches our youngest learners phonics and the basics of reading.

• Google Arts and Culture offers free access to the collections of over 2000 museums, art galleries and other cultural institutions, along with creative games and experiments users can participate in.