Powerful kindergarten literacy gains can easily be lost over the summer – especially by our emerging readers and writers who are still building foundation skills.  Wise kindergarten teachers have developed strategies to support family literacy learning and summer fun:

• Teachers ask each child to carefully print two self-addressed envelopes so she can write to the child.  In return, the child is given two addressed envelopes or postcards so he can write to his teacher.
• Teachers send home a blank drawing/writing book to use as a Garden Journal or Summer Happenings Book.
• Encourage the child to verbalize their summer learning goals during the final student-led parent conference.
• Send home a summer reading journal for each child:  They can draw a picture of their favorite part of each new picture book and write the name of the book and one sentence about it.  “I like the…”
• Remind families to reread and sing and sign the “I Can Read” Notebook pages of songs, rhymes, and chants.  Children will continue to gain reading fluency.
• Give Each Family a Copy of Fun Family Activities that Build a Love of Learning