Stopping the summer slide in children’s reading skills

They are a librarian's toughest sell, a challenge for English teachers and parents alike: Book-shy children who missed the Harry Potter bandwagon and refuse to read on their own.

During the school year, they struggle through reading assignments. Come summer, they avoid the library -- to their own detriment, specialists say. Even high school students can slip into bad reading habits during the break -- using their finger as a guide, whispering as they read, or skipping words they don't recognize, says Thomas Culliton, an education professor who directs Boston University's reading clinic.

Parents should try to reverse the summer slide, educators say, and use vacation time to energize reluctant readers. Students who read regularly during the summer maintain gains from the previous year, are more likely to progress come September, and are more likely to score better on standardized reading tests.

Something as simple as reading to and with your children during the summer can make a difference, says reading specialist Clifford Kramer of Madison, Wis. Kramer has been measuring Wisconsin students' reading skills for more than 20 years. Last year, he tested first-graders in a school district west of Madison. Most returned from summer vacation with the same reading fluency. Given a minute with a familiar book, they could read and understand the same number of words. But about 10 percent understood more and 15 percent understood less.

Why did some children read better than others? ''It's Mom and Dad reading to kids and encouraging them to read during the summer and finding books that they're interested in," Kramer said. ''Some kids don't touch a book all summer and those are the kids that keep me employed as a remedial reading teacher."

If parents suspect reading problems, he recommends they listen to children read. Do the youngsters understand usage, grammar, and how to sound out difficult words?

Across the Boston area, parents have tried to use summertime to turn their children on to reading inside and outside of the house.

Myriam Daz, a stay-at-home mother from Jamaica Plain, works to keep all three of her children excited about reading. Her oldest son always loved to read, but her middle child, Ricardo, avoided books. Not even the classic ''Curious George," which his brother liked, tempted 4-year-old Ricardo.

Worried about her son's lack of interest, Daz consulted teachers. She followed their advice, stocked the house with books, stuck books in the car during vacations, and sent volumes along with Ricardo on sleepovers. This year, she started noticing changes: Ricardo, now 8, brings home books on his own. He joined a library summer book club and has already read several biographies in the ''Step Into Reading" series.

Three times a week, Daz takes Ricardo and his 6-year-old sister, Caterina, to water a maple tree on the Jamaicaway and afterward they read under its branches. The family adopted the tree in June. During their first visit, Daz did the reading. The next time, the children insisted on reading themselves. So Daz, 40, sat by watching, offering praise or asking questions.

''I think that helps a lot -- getting interested in what they're reading," she said.

Maryanne Chin's 7-year-old son, Adam, didn't like to read, but she didn't pick up on the significance until his grades dropped. She tried reading with him. He couldn't understand certain words and at times read parts of words backward. She took him to Boston University's reading clinic, where teachers read with the students and act out stories.

He has improved, but this summer, Chin, a real estate appraiser in Allston, still takes Adam and his younger sister to library events, where they listen to stories, work on book-related crafts, and earn prizes for books they read.

''He doesn't really read on his own -- that's not what he prefers -- but I want him to," she said.

Rewards as simple as blueberries can also encourage young readers.

Mary O'Brien of Dorchester, a second-grade teacher at the Agassiz School in Jamaica Plain, links reading to activities and other aspects of life, including movies, for her children and her students. At a library book sale, she spotted ''Cold Mountain," recognized the book from her 15-year-old daughter's Boston Latin School reading list, and offered the books to students nearby. She made sure to tell them the book had recently been turned into a movie.

She advises her second-graders' parents to keep goals for younger readers realistic and to reward the children for small gains. Go blueberry picking after reading ''Blueberries for Sal," she said, or visit the Boston Public Garden after reading ''Make Way for Ducklings" to see the sculpture of the famous ducklings.

''You don't want the summer to be gruesome: 'Write me a book report on every one,' " she said. ''But you can make it fun."