By Billy Mau

When we think of summer, we think of kids getting out and playing, hitting the swimming pools and generally running around in search of mischief. While it’s great to get out and exercise the body, it is important that both kids and parents do not forget about exercising the brain while away from school.

One excellent – and free – way to keep a sharp mind through the summer is to participate in your local library’s summer reading program. The
Bryan + College Station Public Library System is gearing up for this year’s summer reading program.

“The goal of our program is to prevent summer reading loss,” said Bobbee Pennington, youth librarian at the Bryan Public Library. “Studies have shown that reading levels go down during the summer with many children. We try to put together programs that really advance achievements and keep kids from losing what they’ve learned.”

The theme for this year’s summer reading program is “Libraries – Deep in the Heart of Texas” for younger readers and “Time Twisting” for teens. Kids that participate will receive a game board to track their progress over the summer. Blocks for the kids can be 15-, 30- or 45-minute reading intervals (parents get to pick) and each block is a onehour interval for teens. There are two small prizes to be earned along the way and the final prize for completing the board is a free book.

“This helps make sure the kids don’t fall behind during the summer,” said Kendra Perkins of the Larry J. Ringer library in College Station. “It also gives teens something to do and hopefully helps them stay out of trouble.”

The summer reading program is also for children not yet old enough to read. They can receive credit by having a parent or older sibling read to them. This allows the whole family to get in on he fun.

“It is so important for parents to read to their children,” Pennington said. “A child can learn to read so much faster if they are read to early.”

The reason reading over summer break is helpful for students boils down to the old saying “Practice makes perfect.” Just like practicing free throws or spending time at the batting cages, doing extra reading during the summer will make a student that much better when it comes time to reading comprehension tests.

Of course there is the matter of finding time to read. This isn’t really as hard as most kids think. It’s safe to say most kids will go on at least one trip this summer. That time in the back seat is great for reading so long as you have enough light. Another great time to get a chapter in is before bed. It’s also easy to set aside 30 minutes or an hour for reading. It may seem like a long time at first, but a good book will make that time go by in a flash.

In fact, a good book is the biggest key to successful reading. Students have books assigned to them at school that they might not like. Summer is their chance to relax and read what they like. Any book that challenges them is good, even a comic book. Learning to enjoy a book will make
getting through the school reading all the easier.