The knowledge your child has about the world has always been one of the most important factors in their success as readers. Unfortunately, many children missed out on learning new topics this spring in school. Taking time this summer to read high-quality, engaging nonfiction is a great way to build the knowledge your child needs to become a successful reader.

Following their interests can motivate your child to read. Help your child figure out what they want to learn about and support them in finding ways to read about the topics they’re interested in. Then let them explore how much they can learn from reading!
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Learning new things is like velcro: we learn even more when we read texts that are related to each other by topic because the knowledge from each new article sticks to what we just learned just like the two sides of velcro! When your child finds a topic that interests them, help them find multiple texts to read about it.

Talk about it! Making reading social can be a big motivator. Ask questions about what your child is reading. Read some of the same things they are reading. If they ask you questions you can’t answer, explore answers by reading about the topic together. Include siblings or friends in reading and sharing too.

Access to high-quality texts is still key! As your child looks to keep learning after a challenging spring, it’s even more important to make sure that they can get their hands on books and articles that are engaging and well-written.