Summer Break Reading & Writing Resource For Kindergarten and First Grade Level (Free Download Included)

Kindergarten is a fun and amazing time when our children are learning so much! One second they are memorizing the alphabet and potty-training. Then you swear you just blink and here they are reading words and writing sentences! It’s quite remarkable to watch their little sponge-like brains just absorb the world around them! But, as any teacher or parent will tell you, this is also the time when repetition seems to be a vital tool in the retention process!

The University of Tennessee in Knoxville studied the effects of summer reading in young students and concluded that, “children who do not read in the summer lose two to three months of reading development. This creates a three to four month gap every year. Every two or three years the kids who don’t read in the summer fall a year behind the kids who do.” (Fun, Sun and Good Books: UT Experts Say Summer Reading Keeps Skills Strong – News (utk.edu) I would be willing to bet that writing skills reflect a similar trend. Why? Because “Repetition helps to improve speed, increases confidence, and strengthens the connections in the brain that help children learn.” (Let’s Do It Again . . . and Again! Why is Repetition Important to Learning? – Nemours Reading BrightStart!)

As we began to approach summer break, I knew that I didn’t want my Kindergarten kiddo to experience the “summer slide” and find himself frustrated and overwhelmed when the next school year got underway. At the same time, I wanted our break to be full of summer adventures and fun, so if we were going to incorporate some sort of schoolwork, I wanted it to be somewhat all-encompassing and quick.

After having no luck finding a resource that was everything that I wanted, I made one. The design of the worksheet is nothing new… it’s more of the way that I compiled it for ease of use and durability. So, here it is… a simple concept with one goal in mind – to have a daily exercise that focuses on reading, writing, and reading comprehension. The best part – it’s compiled as a 60-page notebook with a durable cover, medium weight pages (eraser-friendly), and spiral bound. I’m not saying that this is a one-stop answer to everything educational that your child needs over the summer break, but it’s a great start!

How to Use This Resource:

The sheet, and the idea behind it, is very simple. Since my son is just out of Kindergarten, I write out two simple sentences (see the photo below), then he writes the sentences directly under mine. When he has completed the writing portion, he is instructed to read the sentences to me. Once he has completed the reading portion, he draws a picture inside the rectangle of what he just read, accomplishing the reading comprehension portion of the assignment. It’s that easy.

Depending on your child’s skill level, you can make the sentences very simple or more difficult and complex. Or, if your child doesn’t need to do the copywork portion, they can simply write their own sentences, like a summer journal, detailing out their adventures and/or travels.

How to Organize This Resource:

You can print out the attached .pdf yourself and just use a three-ring binder (or a folder) to hold the pages, or you can do what I did and send it to a print shop (I used FedEx), have a front and back cover put on, have it bound, and request a heavier weight paper so that the user, your kids, can erase with ease. For all this, I paid $12 and some change and our notebook is 60 pages, plenty to last us all summer long.

Free Download Here:

There are two versions of this documents that you can choose from. The first download option (for print only) has everything centered on the page. The second download option (for spiral binding) has everything shifted over to the right side of the page so that there is a gap between the binding and the lines (as pictured above). Both downloads are free for personal use! Enjoy!

If you enjoyed this post, please help us grow by saving it on Pinterest using the link (image) below! Thank you!