Reading Keeps Summer From Turning Kids' Minds Into Jello

Reading Keeps Summer From Turning Kids' Minds Into Jello
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=John_Maellaro]John Maellaro

As another long summer away from school approaches, many parents are wondering how to keep their children busy doing something constructive. While certain T.V. shows and video games can be educational, nothing seems to beat good old fashioned reading. Or for very young children, being read to. Summer reading programs are a great way to provide children regular opportunities to read books, play writing games, and listen to stories. While children might be more focused on the fun and prizes involved, educators know that these sorts of programs help little kids get ready to read and help big kids raise scores.

    A study conducted by Jimmy Kim at Harvard's Center for Evaluation found that reading four or five books over the summer months had an impact on fall reading achievement comparable to attending summer school. Another study concluded that children who read more than a half an hour per day during the summer had significantly higher reading comprehension gains by the fall compared with children who did not. In addition, the study showed that children whose parents read to them at least twice a week over the summer also improved comprehension skills more than children whose parents did not.



    Public libraries across the country offer summer reading programs designed to help parents encourage their children to read. Many of the programs are sponsored by the Collaborative Summer Library Program (CSLP), which is a grassroots consortium of states working together to provide high-quality summer reading program materials for children at the lowest cost possible for their public libraries. The CSLP began in 1987 in the state of Minnesota and has since grown to include libraries from virtually every state in the country.

    These wonderful free programs not only promote parent/child involvement, but also give kids an opportunity to have fun while learning valuable skills. Program coordinators often incorporate puppet shows, crafts, skits, and other fun activities to help children interact with the characters they read about and make various subjects come alive for them in a meaningful way. In recent years certain programs have even had the cartoon character Billy Gorilly singing a theme song to get kids into the spirit of things.

    Information on the summer library reading program in your area is available online or at your local library.

John Maellaro, owner of Flying Kitten Music, is one of the writers and producers of "Billy Gorilly" children's music and educational materials. Because success in school starts at home, the Billy Gorilly series was created to provide early learners everything they need to know, in a way they'll never forget. For more information visit http://billygorilly.com/

Article Source: [http://EzineArticles.com/?Reading-Keeps-Summer-From-Turning-Kids-Minds-Into-Jello&id=2289178] Reading Keeps Summer From Turning Kids' Minds Into Jello