Beating the Summer Slide

Summer is a time for kids to enjoy some unstructured fun, filled with fresh air and sunshine. But reading should always be part of the fun.  

Researchers use the term “summer slide” to describe the loss of skills for kids who don’t read during the months when school is out. A Brookings Institute article cites a study showing that “Students’ achievement scores declined over summer vacation by one month’s worth of school-year learning.”  

This can have a cumulative effect, with long-reaching effects on school success and beyond. A New York State Library research brief reports: “studies show that students who read more, read better; they also write better, spell better [and] have larger vocabularies.”  

What can parents and caregivers do to help? A leading education news organization called EdSurge includes libraries on the list of ways to fight summer slide: “Make sure students and their families know how to access their public libraries and the resources that libraries provide, such as programming, knowledgeable librarians and multimedia resources.” 

Libraries give kids and teens access to all kinds of reading and activities. In addition, CADL’s Summer Reading Challenge encourages them to read whatever they like, earning fun prizes as they go. We have tracks for toddlers through adults, so the whole family can join in. Learning activities like scavenger hunts and STEAM challenges add to the fun.  

It’s all free—sign up today!