Another school year is drawing to a close for most of the schools in the Phoenix, Arizona area. As children eagerly anticipate summer vacation, most libraries are gearing up for summer reading programs. The “Maricopa County Reads” program runs from June 1st to August 1st, 2024. Each of the city libraries in Maricopa County runs its own program, which is designed for different age groups, with prizes for reading. It’s also a great way to help your child maintain and improve their reading skills so they don’t suffer from the “summer slump” in reading ability which often occurs when there is no formal reading instruction.
Summer is a great time for your child to choose books that they are interested in. As seen in the info-graphic, there are many different genres to explore. Poetry is one of the areas that my elementary school students enjoy exploring. We’ve been reading Shel Silverstein, and they enjoy the humor the poems contain. For emerging readers, there are books where you can partner read, with the adult reading one part and the child reading the other. My students enjoy this, and it’s a good way to model fluent expressive reading. Reading a variety of genres and discussing them gives children a chance to grow their reading muscles.
Libraries also offer so much more than books. Most libraries offer Culture passes to local museums. Depending on the library, they also have seed libraries for planting, DVDs, computer and internet access, a children’s area, and a teen zone. There are also different programs offered, such as story time for babies to families. Visit your local library’s website to see what is available.
Click this link to sign up for the summer reading program. https://maricopacountyreads.org/en-US
For people who do not live in Maricopa county or Arizona, check your local library for summer reading programs.