In Spain, as previous educational laws have, the LOMLOE seeks to encourage schools to foster a love of books and to promote the habit of reading amongst students. Why? Because reading has a direct impact on crucial aspects of education:
- Improvement of reading comprehension.
- Development of communication skills.
- Correct management of information.
- Development of critical thinking.
- Acquisition of knowledge.
- Development of empathy for different realities.
Therefore, by encouraging a love of reading during the school year, students will want to continue reading during their summer holidays. Here are some ideas for learners and parents to continue to have a love of reading over the summer.
Visit a library
Summer months are hot! Cool off with weekly trips to the library to read, browse and borrow new books. Libraries not only have traditional books, but also digital copies for your digital device, magazines, newspapers and audio books. Very often they put on activities for children, so check out their schedule in advance.
Read different things
Set a challenge where students have to read many different kinds of texts over the summer and take a selfie when they do so – for example, a books, a comic, a leaflet, a cereal box. They can present the information to you on the first day back from holidays.
Audio books when travelling
Ask parents to listen to audio books in the car when travelling this summer, or have it downloaded to listen to on the plane or train. If the paper version is also available, their son or daughter can read along with the audio.
Time challenges
Ask parent to set daily or weekly time challenges, where time is reserved for the whole family to read together. It can start off small, e.g. 20 minutes a day, and with each week that passes, the length of reading time increases. Also, having a routine where reading is always done at the same hour, e.g. after lunch, is a great way not to skip or forget.
Book to movie
Ask students to choose a book that has been made into a movie. They must read the book first and then watch the movie and say how each was the same or different to the other.
Reading play dates
Set up a social reading group among friends in class. Children can first of all play together, and then after lunch spend some time reading together. They can either read their own books or read the same book together and practice reading aloud or acting out parts of the book.
Stamps and rewards
Ask your students to read 6 books over the summer. Give each student a reading card where they can write the titles of the books and a space for a stamp or parent signature. Each time they read a book, their parents stamp or sign their reading card. If they manage to read all six books, the children get a reward (either from the school or from their parents)
Pearson Readers
We have a great catalogue of Pearson English Readers available which has over 480 books to choose from, both fiction and non-fiction, including Disney and Marvel stories. Books are graded by level and organised by age, containing a wide variety of activities to accompany the stories. Take a look, get started, and happy reading!
