I am supporting this year’s Summer Reading Challenge. Last year, 780,000 children took part in the Challenge, and the testimonies on the Reading Agency website show just how much the young people enjoy it and how much parents notice the benefits.
The amount that children read has a tendency to drop during the summer months and – while that is to an extent unavoidable – it is still important to encourage them to keep up their reading. The Challenge encourages children ages 4-11 to read six books during the summer holiday that they can borrow from the local library. When they have finished a book, the children get stickers and other rewards – and everyone who reads all six books over the summer holidays gets a certificate.
The target age bracket is an important one in terms of the development of reading skills, and the scheme is an excellent way to avoid a summer reading ‘dip’. The reading challenge website has a number of interactive features and explains in detail how kids can get involved and begin their own challenge.
I have previously supported book reading scheme's. Parents should take the time to read books to their children as frequently as they can.