What 10 minutes of reading can really give families this summer

The summer holidays have arrived; no early wake-ups, no school drop-offs and no more packed lunches. But with the summer holidays comes the risk of your child falling behind with their reading. 

Did you know children can lose up to two months of reading progress over the summer? This ​“Summer Slide” especially affects children from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Without regular reading, children risk losing key literacy skills, confidence, and motivation. They also miss out on the joy and magic that stories bring, along with the chance to develop a lifelong love of books and learning from an early age. 

Worryingly, the impact goes beyond school. Children who fall behind are more likely to disengage from learning altogether, affecting their future education, career opportunities, and self-esteem. 

The good news? Just 10 minutes of reading a day can help your child to keep learning and bring your family closer.

Here’s what 10 minutes of reading every day can do for your family this summer.

Prevents learning loss

Here are some of the most impactful ways reading can reduce summer learning loss:

• Increases vocabulary: When children are exposed to language from a young age, they acquire new vocabulary and comprehension skills that greatly support their development. According to The National Literacy Trust, ​“reading for pleasure can support reading, and wider literacy skills, wellbeing, empathy, confidence and aptitude for learning.” 
• Boosts cognitive development: Reading is the perfect tool for sparking curiosity in a child, forming a solid foundation that underpins all kinds of learning, from critical thinking to maths and science. One of the beautiful things about reading with children is that you engage their visual imagery and story comprehension – this helps to stimulate their brain development.
• Helps them to focus: Reading helps your child learn to sit still and pay attention. Reading every day can improve their focus, listening skills and understanding – important skills for making friends and expressing themselves as they grow.

Boosts your child’s wellbeing

Reading with your child daily can offer more than educational and developmental benefits; it also provides powerful wellbeing benefits that are increasingly recognised and understood by educators, psychologists, and healthcare professionals. Here’s how sharing stories can help your child thrive emotionally and mentally:

• Builds Emotional Intelligence: Stories are a gentle way for children to explore big feelings and life situations. In other words, they are confronted with conflicts, emotions, and challenges and taught how to navigate these within the pages of their favourite books. This gives them the tools they need to navigate life’s challenges with confidence, supporting emotional intelligence.
• Reduces stress and anxiety: Reading has a calming effect on both children and adults. Stories provide a safe and predictable environment that promotes relaxation. This is especially beneficial during times of high stress for your child, such as their first day at school, navigating family ups and downs, and working through friendship challenges.

Strengthens Child-Parent Bonds

Reading aloud with your child is a wonderful way to enjoy distraction-free, quality time, especially when life feels busy:

• Creates a safe space: Reading presents a beautiful opportunity to give your child your undivided attention in a world where everyone is always rushing around and overly busy. In addition to supporting bonding and connection, this creates positive associations with reading, making your child more likely to read for pleasure as they get older. 
• Creates connection: Reading is widely recognised as one of the most effective and nurturing activities a parent can engage in with their child. It opens the door for your child to learn new things, ask questions, laugh at silly characters, and become curious about where the story might lead them. All of these things help develop your child’s understanding of the world around them, while subtly teaching them invaluable skills. Discover more storytelling techniques here.

Creating small habits can have a big impact

10 minutes of reading a day is a small habit, but one that can have a long-lasting effect on the development and success of your child. You don’t need to be a reading expert, or even love reading yourself, to engage your child in the world of books. You just need to read with them regularly. It really is that simple and it really will make a difference.

This is a guest blog written by Kate Sheppard – stay up to date with her latest blogs on X!