SPOKANE, Wash. – Whether it’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid or a dictionary, one local school librarian says kids need to read over the summer, or they will forget some of what they learned.
I’m talking about Amanda Monger, who has spent the past several weeks encouraging Westview Elementary students to find a way to read over the summer.
Whether that’s reading text with your eyes, listening to audiobooks, or using touch if you cannot see, Monger says that by taking in the information, you are activating your brain and holding onto otherwise lost skills over the 2½-month break.
Monger says it is a good idea to read a variety of different genres to keep your brain working. That might mean one day a non-fiction book and the next day Captain Underpants. As long as you are getting 20 minutes per day, Monger says it’s worth it.
“The kids who come back and say [they] read over the summer,” said Monger. “Those kids tend to be the most curious and the most engaged in the learning and what they’re doing…”
Monger is encouraging kids to find time to read whenever they can throughout their day. It can be in the car on the way to the grocery store or right before bed if they need to.
There are several different summer reading programs available with local libraries, but Monger says none are as simple as the one through Spokane Public Libraries.
