Numerous studies have shown that the act of reading itself - regardless of the material - is beneficial. Studies also show that providing kids with a choice of materials helps develop a sustained habit of reading, leading to life-long learning and pleasure. 

Recreational reading over the summer helps students build vocabulary, practice inference and comprehension skills, and keeps minds ready for returning to academic classes in the fall. This also includes the act of listening to a story.

Family-wide discussions are also helpful in summarizing and interpreting stories; we encourage several members of a household to read or listen to the same book and discuss it and/or to share what they are reading with each other regularly.