Enriching Education: Bookworms, Rejoice! Summer Reading by the Numbers & Tips to Inspire Kids to Read More

 With a summer overshadowed by social distancing and closed summer camps, many U.S. kids spent more time reading books for pleasure. Parents and teachers, rejoice! 

According to a recent survey of 1,600 U.S. students conducted by the online learning community Brainly, 74% of students nationwide said they read more unassigned books during the 2020 summer vacation than they did last year. 

The top 5 states where students spent more time reading this summer were: 

1. Texas - 83%
2. New Jersey and Illinois - 82%
3. Georgia - 79%
4. Michigan - 78%
5. Ohio - 77%

While an increase in time spent reading is certainly praiseworthy, Brainly wanted to know just how much reading students actually did over summer break this year. Not including any required reading, here’s what was discovered: 

• 40.2% of students read between three to six full-length books
• 31% of students said they read seven or more full-length books
• 11% read at least one or two full-length books 

Students’ most-read book genres this summer were dystopian fiction/science fiction (36%), followed by mystery/crime thrillers (13%), romance novels (10%), and graphic novels (9%).

“Despite canceled trips COVID-19-related closures, it’s wonderful to learn that many more students were able to find a healthy mental escape with literary adventures in books this summer,” says Patrick Quinn, Parenting Expert at Brainly. “The students who spent more time reading over the summer are likely to have an academic edge and experience less learning loss this school year than their peers who didn’t read as much.”

Brainly's parenting expert also has some easy tips to help parents encourage their kids to read for fun more often, including: 

1. Reading rewards. For every 10 books your child reads, allow him/her to choose a prize from a bin of dollar store goodies or earn some type of coveted privilege. 
2. Piggyback on their passions. Pick books for your child that feature topics and themes he or she is already interested in. 
3. Make a themed reading nook. Work with your child to make it an area where they’d want to hang out, which makes reading time even more special and appealing. Some themes might include under the sea, a Native American teepee, a princess palace, or outer space. 
4. Set a good example. The best way for kids to become more vivacious readers and to cultivate a love of reading is to learn by example from their parents. Parents who read often are more than twice as likely to have kids who like to read. 

For more information, please check out www.brainly.com