Youth Summer Reading 2024

This summer’s theme is “Adventure Begins at Your Library.” All 26 locations will offer an exciting schedule of STEAM programming available for kids and teens of all ages. Check out the schedules of events at the links above to see what adventures await at BPL this summer. Our partners include: The Animal Rescue League, ReadBoston, Countdown to Kindergarten, Little Groove, City Ballet of Boston, chef and artist Nahdra Ra, and more.

Research shows that kids who don’t engage in reading over the summer tend to lose some of the academic skills they worked to develop during the previous school year. This effect is known as “summer slide.” Achievement gaps can develop between students who read over the summer and those who don’t. Library summer reading programs offer a fun way for kids to beat summer slide and keep their reading skills sharp for the new school year.

Find out more about summer slide below:

• New York State Library’s Research Overview on Summer Reading
• Resources from California Library Associate on the Value of Summer Reading
• American Library Association’s LibGuide of Summer Reading Research

Summer reading is also a great way for younger kids to boost their early literacy skills. Even as babies, kids start learning the skills that will help prepare them to read and write, a process known as “early literacy.” Early literacy starts long before a child is developmentally ready to read. For example, learning to identify shapes will eventually help a child recognize letters. Below are links to a few additional resources about early literacy.

• U.S. Department of Education’s “Helping Your Child Become a Reader”
• Colorado’s Libraries for Early Literacy’s “Five Early Literacy Practices”
• Talking Is Teaching’s Early Literacy Resources

• Library Calendar of Summer Youth Programs
• Children’s Library’s Facebook Page

This summer, the library is offering an exciting schedule of STEAM programming available for kids and teens of all ages. Check out the schedules of events at the links above to see what adventures await at BPL this summer. Our partners include: The Animal Rescue League, ReadBoston, Franklin Park Zoo, Countdown to Kindergarten, award-winning author/illustrator Kari Percival, and more.