Ready for some low-pressure, fun ways to avoid the summer slide? Here’s a roundup of my favorite first grade summer reading activities to get you started.

Looking for simple sound mapping activities to help your early reader? These playful, research-backed activities will help your child map sounds to letters and build strong reading confidence.

Let’s be honest:
Summer reading can feel like a battlefield for some families.

If your second grader is avoiding books like they’re broccoli, you’re not alone—and you’re not doing anything wrong.

But here’s the good news:
With just a few simple tweaks, you can turn “Ugh, do I have to?” into “Wait, can we keep reading?”

Below are 3 unexpected tricks that actually work—especially for second graders who are on the edge of building reading confidence and comprehension.