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Summer Helps For Kindergarten and First Graders (and Their Parents!)

Tips for Parents Taken From: LD Online

Summer shouldn't mean taking a break from learning, especially reading. Studies show that most students experience a loss of reading skills over the summer months, but children who continue to read actually gain skills. Efforts should be made during the summer to help children sustain reading skills, practice reading and read for enjoyment.
Parents should remember that children need free time in the summer to relax and enjoy the pleasures of childhood. So summer reading should be fun. Following are a few tips to make reading enjoyable for your children this summer:

*Read aloud together with your child every day. Make it fun by reading outdoors on the front steps, patio, at the beach or park. Also, let your children read to you. For younger children, point out the relationship between words and sounds.

*Take your children to the library regularly. Get signed up for Rapid City Public Library’s Summer Program. Let your child have their own library card.

*Subscribe, in your child's name, to magazines like Sports Illustrated for Kids, Highlights for Children, or National Geographic World. Encourage older children to read the newspaper and current events magazines, to keep up the reading habit over the summer and develop vocabulary. Ask them what they think about what they've read, and listen to what they say.

*Ease disappointment over summer separation from a favorite school friend by encouraging them to become pen pals. Present both children with postcards or envelopes that are already addressed and stamped. If both children have access to the Internet, email is another option.

*Encourage children to keep a summer scrapbook/journal. Tape in souvenirs of your family's summer activities picture postcards, ticket stubs, photos. Have your children write the captions and read them aloud as you look at the book together. A simple spiral notebook can become a precious keepsake if they write in it most days this summer. Encourage and remind of punctuation and simple conventions of print.

Other Sites:

· Reading is Fundamental http://www.rif.org/parents/tips/default.mspx

· Rapid City Public Library Can search title by: title, author, series and more! Can find out if a book is currently available or if checked out, when it will be back.

v Books on lists below are available at Rapid City Public Library:
-A-J Leveled Book List http://sw031.k12.sd.us/book%20list.htm
-K-L Leveled Book List http://sw031.k12.sd.us/booklist%20k-l.htm

· www.starfall.com (alphabet, phonics games)

· http://icom.museum/vlmp/ (virtual museums)

· www.sdpirc.org/content/parents (South Dakota’s Department of Education has this wonderful site for parents. See “Publications” for many wonderful helps, especially one on how to help your new reader!)

· www.scholastic.com/summer/

· http://www.kellyskindergarten.com/Online%20Games/online_games.htm