Canberra’s kids are being encouraged to keep up their reading over the summer holidays with Libraries ACT partnering with its Victorian counterpart for the ‘Big Summer Read’ program.
Announcing the program, Libraries ACT said research had identified a phenomenon known as the ‘summer slide’, which refers to the loss of literacy skills over the summer holidays when children didn’t read — “estimated on average as the equivalent of two to three months of reading proficiency”.
Libraries ACT said the loss of reading proficiency was most acute in children from economically disadvantaged communities, with the decline in learning gains made worse by successive COVID-19 lockdowns.
It encouraged parents and carers to be their child’s literacy champion, with research showing parents’ influence could help kids become lifelong learners.
“So join in, have fun and help keep your kids reading, playing, exploring and discovering with us this summer,” Libraries ACT said.
“Being a part of the fun is super easy, download the Beanstack Tracker app and register to play,” it said.
“Track your progress with the app and earn digital badges as rewards for reaching reading milestones.”
Libraries ACT said Canberrans could also visit their local library to chat with staff about how to get involved in the Big Summer Read, running until 31 January.
For parents and carers who are unsure about what to pick for their kids to read over the summer break, the Agency said it had pulled together a range of different titles to choose from.
Further information on the reading challenge can be accessed at this PS News link and Libraries ACT’s kids summer reading suggestions at this link.
