With summer underway, you may be searching for ways to occupy the kids and foster their literacy. Perhaps you’re concerned with how the pandemic has affected student reading habits.
According to the report “What Kids are Reading: 2021 Edition” from Renaissance, a global leader in pre-K–12 education technology, children are not declining in their literacy skills. In fact, the opposite is true!
One study through Renaissance and myON concluded the following:
- Fall 2019: 4.3 million hours of digital reading
- Fall 2020: 8.9 million hours of digital reading
- Sample size: 7 million students
- Number of books read: 255 million books
- Number of participating schools: 26,344
Reading increased by 107%. As a result, math scores increased because reading literacy directly impacts math skills.
With so many books to choose from, where do you begin? First, help your child find books to which they can make a connection.
Consider these questions:
- Do you prefer fiction or nonfiction?
- What genre do you like to read? (e.g., comedy, drama, suspense)
- Do you like short stories or longer books?
Then, distinguish between reading for leisure and reading for academia. Ask yourself, Do I want my child reading for fun or for study?
Start Now
You can start building literacy with your child today with as little as one story before bedtime. If your child is young, read the story and have your child follow along. If your children are older, encourage them to read with your help. You’ll find that the favorites you used to read to your kids are now books they can read back to you.
Lengthen reading time over the course of a few weeks. Aim for 15 minutes for younger elementary children and 30 minutes to an hour for middle and high school students.
An hour may seem like a long time, but children can become easily engrossed in a good book for hours at a time!
For academic reading, Renaissance recommends considering the length of the text and the time it takes to read the text. Typically, students should be reading 500-1200 words, supported by instruction. The time it takes to read a text will vary based on grade level.
Now that you have a path toward supporting literacy this summer, check out our reading series recommendations from beginner to seasoned readers.
Pre-school & Early Elementary
Berenstain Bears Series
Authors: Jan, Stan, and Mike Berenstain
Fiction
Lexile: 170-690
Interest level: 3-7 years
Biscuit Series
Author: Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Fiction
Lexile: 80-260
Interest Level: 4-8 years
Junie B. Jones Series
Author: Barbara Park
Fiction
Lexile: 330-560
Interest Level: 6-9 years
Upper Elementary & Early Middle School
Dog Man the Cat Kid Series
Author: Dav Pilkey
Fiction
Lexile: 270-390
Interest Level: 7 years+
I Survived Series
Author: Lauren Tarshis
Fiction with Nonfiction Elements
Lexile: 590-620
Interest Level: 7-10 years
Wings of Fire Series 
Author: Tui T. Sutherland
Fiction
Lexile: 710-790
Interest Level: 8-12 years
Artemis Fowl Series
Author: Eoin Colfer
Fiction
Lexile: 600-930
Interest Level: 8-12 years
Sugar Creek Gang Series
Author: Paul Hutchens
Fiction
Lexile: 1000-1290
Interest Level: 8-12 years
Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series
Author: Jeff Kinney
Fiction
Lexile: 910-1060
Interest Level: 8+ years
Who was... / What was… Series 
Author: Various
Nonfiction
Lexile: 570-1020
Interest Level: 8 years+
Upper Middle School & High School
The Hunger Games Series 
Author: Suzanne Collins
Fiction
Lexile: 800-820
Interest Level: 12 years+
Harry Potter Series 
Author: J. K. Rowling
Fiction
Lexile: 880-1030
Interest Level: 12 years +
The Lord of the Rings Series 
Author: J. R. R. Tolkein
Fiction
Lexile: 810-920
Interest Level 12 years +
Divergent Series 
Author: Veronica Roth
Fiction
Lexile: 700-830
Interest Level: 14 years +
What reading series have your kids enjoyed? Share your recommendations in the comments section below.
Sources
https://www.kidsbookseries.com/
www.amazon.com
Nicole Thompson is a contributing writer and editor to the Lincoln Learning blog. She brings more than a decade of experience in education, curriculum, and communications to her blogs. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Master of Science in Instructional Leadership, with certifications in secondary English and Communications. Nicole is married with four children and has a spunky golden retriever named Cinder and a rescue dog named Annie Banannie.