This is a guest post from Anna Chirillo, an upper-elementary ELA teacher at Think Academy.
Summer reading does not have to feel like schoolwork. The best routines are steady, flexible and age-appropriate. In the elementary years, summer reading helps students develop comfort, confidence and curiosity with books. By middle school, students are ready to build on those habits in more sophisticated ways, using reading to explore academic subjects, make connections across disciplines and engage with ideas that require deeper thought.
Here are five summer reading tips for elementary schoolers and five for middle schoolers.
Top 5 Summer Reading Tips for Elementary Schoolers
Elementary students benefit from reading regularly, even for a short amount of time. A steady routine of about 15-30 minutes a day can help keep skills active while still leaving plenty of room for summer fun.
1. Foster a love for reading
For elementary students, summer reading should feel positive and low pressure. Give children room to choose what they want to read, including formats that may not look like traditional books. Graphic novels, comic books, magazines, joke books, recipe books, sports articles and game manuals can all help students see reading as something connected to their interests.
- Let your child pick from several options instead of assigning one book.
- Create a cozy reading spot with pillows, good lighting and minimal distractions.
- Allow your child to stop a book that is not clicking and choose a better fit.
2. Practice reading fluency
Fluency means reading with accuracy, appropriate speed and expression. When children become more fluent, they can spend less energy figuring out each word and more energy understanding what they read. Reading aloud and rereading short passages can help students sound smoother and more confident.
- Ask your child to read aloud to you, a sibling, a pet or a stuffed animal.
- Have your child reread the same short passage two or three times during the week, stopping before it feels frustrating.
3. Introduce informational text
Elementary students are often more familiar with stories than informational text, but nonfiction reading becomes more important as students move through school. Summer is a good time to introduce it gently through topics children already enjoy, such as animals, space, weather, sports, cooking, nature or inventions.
- Pair a fiction book with a nonfiction book on a related topic.
- Try informational fiction, nonfiction picture books, kid-friendly magazines or short articles before moving into longer nonfiction.
Parents looking to learn more about informational and nonfiction reading can explore these resources:
- Deeper look into informational text: How Informational Text Helps Kids Improve Reading Comprehension
- Reading comprehension in elementary school: Reading Comprehension for Elementary Kids: How to Help Your Child Understand What They Read
- Understanding nonfiction reading: How to Improve Elementary Students’ Reading Skills: Nonfiction vs. Fiction
4. Encourage retelling
Retelling helps children organize their thinking and express what they understand. After reading, ask your child to explain the story or information in their own words. This does not need to feel like a quiz; the point is to help children talk naturally about what they read.
- For younger students, ask, “What happened first, next and last?”
- For older elementary students, ask, “What was the problem?” “What was your favorite part?” or “What did you learn?”
5. Start building early comprehension strategies
Once students can retell what they read, they can begin practicing early comprehension strategies. Before reading, they can make predictions based on the title, cover, pictures or what they already know. During reading, they can visualize scenes or notice clues that help them infer what the text does not say directly.
- Before reading, ask your child what they think the book or article will be about.
- After reading, ask your child to draw a scene, explain a clue or share something they figured out from the text.
Top 5 Summer Reading Tips for Middle Schoolers
As students move into middle school, summer reading should build on the foundation they developed in elementary school. Instead of focusing only on comfort, fluency and basic comprehension, middle schoolers can begin using reading as a tool for academic thinking.
1. Explore more subjects to build academic knowledge
Middle schoolers can use summer reading to strengthen the way they think in different school subjects. A history book might help them notice causes, effects, time periods and perspectives.
A science article might help them look for questions, evidence, explanations and discoveries. This gives students practice with the kinds of thinking they will use throughout the school day, not just in English class.
- Help your child choose one nonfiction topic connected to a school subject, such as ancient Rome, space, weather, inventions, art or world cultures.
- Ask them to read with that subject in mind: What would a historian, scientist, artist or researcher notice in this text?
2. Move from understanding to analysis
By middle school, students should begin moving from “What happened?” to “How does this text work?” and “Why does this matter?” They can reread a short section to look for patterns, important details, character choices, themes, author decisions or evidence that supports an idea.
- Ask, “What in the text makes you think that?”
- Encourage your child to mark or write down one sentence that seems especially important and explain why it matters.
3. Connect one topic across different subjects
Middle schoolers are ready to see how one topic can be understood in more than one way. For example, a student interested in an inventor could read a biography to learn about the person’s life, a science article to understand the invention and a history article to see how that invention affected people and society. This helps students move beyond reading one text at a time and begin combining ideas from different disciplines.
- Build a small text set around one topic, with each source coming from a different subject area.
- After each text, ask, “What did this source explain that the others did not?”
- At the end, ask, “How do these pieces fit together?”
4. Take on more complex, age-appropriate topics
Middle schoolers are ready for texts that ask more of them emotionally and intellectually, but that complexity should still match their age and readiness. At this stage, a more challenging book or article might include layered friendships, difficult choices, personal setbacks, questions of fairness, identity, leadership or change. These topics give students more to think about without needing to introduce content that feels too mature, graphic or overwhelming.
Age-appropriate complexity means the text may not have one simple answer. A character may make a choice students agree with in some ways but question in others. A biography may show success alongside failure. A story may ask students to think about responsibility, courage or belonging from more than one perspective. This kind of reading helps middle schoolers practice sitting with nuance while still staying within material that feels right for their stage of development.
- Preview summaries or reviews when needed and choose texts where the challenge comes from layered ideas rather than overly mature content.
- Ask, “What made this situation complicated?” or “Why might different people see this differently?”
- Talk through difficult moments together so your child can process the topic with support.
5. Use current events to build real-world comprehension
Middle schoolers can use age-appropriate current events to practice reading real-world information thoughtfully. Encourage students to look beyond the headline by identifying what happened, who is involved or affected, where and when the event took place and what background information is needed. They can also begin noticing the difference between confirmed facts, opinions, quotes and unanswered questions.
- Choose one age-appropriate article each week from a reliable student news source.
- Ask your child to identify one fact, one quote, one opinion and one question they still have.
Keep Summer Reading Purposeful and Positive
Summer reading should support growth without taking away the rest and freedom students need during the break. For elementary schoolers, that means helping reading feel comfortable, consistent and understandable. For middle schoolers, it means using those early skills to think more independently, connect ideas and approach more complex texts with confidence. When families match reading to a student’s stage of development, summer reading can feel both manageable and meaningful.
About the Author
Anna Chirillo is an upper-elementary ELA teacher at Think Academy with over 10 years of experience helping students strengthen reading comprehension and critical thinking skills. She is also a homeschooling mom of four who is passionate about helping children dig deeper and understand the “why” behind what they read.
Frequently Asked Questions
▶ Why is summer reading important for students?
Summer reading helps students maintain and strengthen reading skills while school is out. Regular reading supports vocabulary growth, reading fluency, comprehension and overall academic confidence, helping students return to school ready to learn.
▶ How much should my child read during the summer?
Most elementary students benefit from reading 15–30 minutes per day. Middle school students may read for longer periods depending on their interests and goals. Consistent reading habits are more important than long reading sessions.
▶ What are the best books for summer reading?
The best summer reading books are the ones students genuinely want to read. Graphic novels, chapter books, nonfiction, magazines and age-appropriate digital texts can all support reading growth when they match a child’s interests and reading level.
▶ How can I encourage my child to read more during the summer?
Give your child choices, create a comfortable reading space and connect books to their interests. Keeping reading enjoyable and low pressure often leads to stronger reading habits than requiring specific books or assignments.
▶ Should summer reading include nonfiction books?
Yes. Nonfiction helps students build background knowledge and prepares them for reading across subjects such as science, history and social studies. Topics like animals, space, technology and current events are great places to start.
▶ What reading skills should middle school students practice over the summer?
Middle school students should focus on comprehension, analysis, critical thinking and connecting ideas across different texts and subjects. Reading fiction, nonfiction and current events can help strengthen these skills.
▶ Can reading on a tablet or e-reader count as summer reading?
Absolutely. E-books, educational articles, digital magazines and other age-appropriate online reading materials can support literacy development just as effectively as traditional printed books.
