School's out for the summer. Students and parents are yearning for the chance to kick back and relax. And what do schools do? Assign summer reading! Children balk and parents dread the ongoing battle to get their son or daughter to pick up a book. Many will say, “My child learns just as much from experiencing life outside of school by traveling, going to camp, or spending time with family. Why does it always have to be about reading and writing?”
There is a method to the madness. Research shows that one of the most valid predictors of general intelligence is a command of vocabulary. And one of the best ways to develop a rich vocabulary is to read. Furthermore, what other activity can transport you to places real and imagined from the comforts of a hammock or beach chair?
So rather than fight it, here are 4 reading strategies that will help you and your child make the most out of summer reading: