What is the most important academic skill a child can develop that will assist them throughout life? It's reading, of course. While success in a school setting includes many different skills, reading impacts most of them. Summer is a great time for children to practice their reading skills so that they won't experience the "summer slide"-that is, losing some of the information they learned during the previous school year.

A plan that includes daily reading can certainly make a difference in a child's life and make reading an enjoyable experience. Maybe parents can have a family reading time for 30 minutes each day. Everyone could read their own book of choice. No phones or electronic devices would be allowed. It would be a good time for everyone to decompress. If children see their parents and other role models (teachers, coaches, relatives) reading regularly, the fact that reading is important can be imprinted early in life.

Parents will sometimes lament that they don't know what kind of book is appropriate for their child. The more children and youth read, the stronger their skills improve. It is not about perfectly matching a child's tested reading level to the book they are reading. Find out where a child's interests lie and let them choose the book. An excellent example is the popular Harry Potter series of books about a young wizard and his friends, written by author J. K. Rowling. The books are over 700 pages each, with a challenging vocabulary. Most adults would not pick up a book that long. I have seen students who read on a third-grade level struggle through one of those books because they were fascinated with the story and the characters. They may not be able to read each and every word, but they begin to depend on context clues to understand parts of the book. Some of the more difficult words start to make sense as children see them multiple times. That will carry over into their other reading.

Let your "reluctant readers" visit the children's section of the local library. Encourage them to walk through the shelves and see the wide variety of available books. Have your child pick out four books that might look interesting. Let them tell you why they selected those books. Maybe they just liked the illustrations. The key is to have them find books they enjoy.

Summer is a great time to go to the local library. Chesapeake Public Libraries are sponsoring a special summer reading program for children from June 21 through August 14. The program includes activities that also promote aspects of financial literacy: participants will earn Dizzy Dollars as they reach reading goals. They can shop with those dollars in the Dizzy Dollar Store from August 15 through August 31 and pick out school supplies and other surprise items in the store. This would be a fun activity to include in your family's vacation plans. Avoid the "summer slide" and make summer count!