Summer reading regression, otherwise known as the ‘summer slide’, is described by Twinkl as, ‘The trend of students “sliding backward” in their reading abilities during the summer months.’ It is something that educators and parents show concern about year on year. 

Summer Reading Regression
The summer holidays are in no doubt a time for children to relax and spend time with family and friends, but it is also a time where education is often pushed to one side. Like many things in life, reading is a skill that needs to be continuously practised in order to maintain the standard to which it once was, and short bursts of reading regularly is what is recommended to keep kids on track. 

The summer reading regression occurs when children do very little reading or no reading at all over the summer holidays. Children who don’t read over the summer lose about 20% of the reading gains from the previous academic year and, according to scholastic, ‘it takes on average 4-6 weeks for students to catch up on lost progress’. Lower income families experience the ‘summer slide’ at a greater amount due to lack of resources which widens the literacy gap further.

Put the Brakes On
We need to put the brakes on the ‘summer slide’ and make sure children don’t slip backwards, no matter their background. Working together with families is crucial to ensure that they feel supported. Parents need to be made aware of the summer slide but also given solutions to help them prevent it. If we know families don’t have the relevant resources at home, we need to provide them with what is necessary in order for them to succeed. 

Aswell as engaging the parents and educating them on the ‘summer slide’, we also need to make children excited about reading over the holidays. Considering the children are on their summer break, we need to think creatively to make reading engaging and fun. 

Below are three tips to get children excited about reading over the summer:

1. Let children choose their own books. It is important that children feel they have ownership over the decision of the book they are reading and that they have the chance to choose one that they are interested in. If the book seems slightly too easy/hard, don’t worry! We just want children to enjoy what they are reading over the summer – any reading is better than no reading
2. Include some games. Children love games! By involving games in education, children forget that they are learning and are focused on getting to the next stage in the game. It is the perfect way to keep children engrossed in books. 
3. Incorporate technology. These days, children appear to be more tech-savvy than adults and can’t get enough of using technology. Why not make screen time productive and get children reading on tablets? 

The National Read Aloud Challenge 
The National Read Aloud Challenge is the perfect way to encourage children to read over the summer. Not only is the challenge completely FREE and provides children access to hundreds of books, it also incorporates games and prizes to motivate the kids. All our books are available on tablets so children can spend their screen time on something educational. 

Our aim is to reduce summer reading regression by making children love reading! We don’t want reading to be a chore, we want children to enjoy picking up books and experiencing the joy of being engrossed in a story. 

Put the brakes on the summer slide and enrol your school in the challenge! 

https://www.readaloudchallenge.co.uk

The National Read Aloud Challenge aims to reduce reading regression over the summer as well as enhancing a love for reading. We want all children to return to school in September as confident, excited readers. 

Follow these five tips to ensure your school is set up successfully to make the most of the challenge!

1.School Community
Encourage children, parents and teachers at your school to be on board with the challenge. If you secure the support from the whole school community, they will naturally work together to keep the reading momentum going. 

• Talk to children about the challenge in assemblies and during classroom time.
• Remind your staff about the challenge during staff meetings and in the staff room.
• Keep the parents involved by posting about the challenge on social media and sending out the letters we have provided.

2.Materials and Resources
Use the National Read Aloud Challenge resources available on your school’s personalised webpage. We have created these so that your workload is kept to an absolute minimum. You are provided with an assembly presentation, parent letters, posters & flyers, a staff information presentation and so much more! Make the most of the resources to promote the challenge!

3.Dive into the App
Explore the app so you are familiar with it. You will feel more confident when talking about the challenge if you have taken the time to get to know the app the children will be using. You might also want to have book discussions with children and recommend some books that you have seen on the in app library. The more book talk, the better!

4.Praise, Praise, Praise
Praising children who have signed up to the app is a great way to encourage other children to get involved. Celebrate the class who has the most children participating, congratulate children in assembly for signing up and thank parents for getting their children involved. Everyone loves a bit of praise (even the parents)!

5.Check in
Not all children will have access to a tablet at home. Check in with those children and give them the opportunity to take part in the challenge while they are still at school so they feel involved.

Remember, if you have any questions about the challenge, please use the ‘get in touch’ link and we will get back to you as soon as possible!

Enrol your school or register your child now!
www.readaloudchallenge.co.uk
#BeProudReadAloud