Prevent the Summer Slide
Published on May 13, 2025
By Leah T.
Before joining the Siouxland Libraries team, I taught first grade—a big year for learning how to read. When May rolled around and the final bell rang, I watched my students leave my classroom, giddy for the freedom of summer. My one hope? That they wouldn’t stop reading!
Known as the "summer slide," students can lose some of the progress they made during the school year if reading and learning don’t continue through the summer.
Although I'm no longer a classroom teacher, I'm still passionate about staying current with research and inspiring kids to be lifelong learners. The public library is the perfect bridge between the end of one school year and the start of the next. Siouxland Libraries has fantastic programs this summer to help prevent the summer slide.
We’ll all miss Reading Bridge this year, but Barb Wigg, former director of the Reading Bridge Summer Tutoring Program, is offering a workshop to equip parents and caregivers with practical strategies to support struggling readers over the summer.
Barb shares, “The goal of this workshop is to help adults go beyond ‘just reading’ with children by using research-based strategies that strengthen literacy skills. These sessions are also a great opportunity to share frustrations and ask questions about working with children at home.”
The workshop will be offered at seven different branches. It’s the same session each time, so simply choose the location and date that work best for you!
The 2025 Summer Reading Program kicks off on May 23 and runs through August 15. Participating in a summer reading program keeps kids’ reading skills sharp and encourages a daily reading routine. You can even win fun prizes along the way! Stay tuned for more details.
A new program at the Downtown Library connects young readers with residents from Touchmark at All Saints! Kids will make a new friend and enjoy reading together—and the time spent can even count toward the Summer Reading log.
Increase your child’s reading confidence by reading aloud to a non-judgmental furry friend. Our Tail Waggin’ Tutors are certified therapy dogs. Book a 15-minute reading session with one of the pups!
Starting kindergarten is a significant transition in your child’s life. Get ready for school with a weeklong Kindergarten Camp to help your child feel confident on their first day.
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The learning doesn’t stop at the library! After attending a program, be sure to check out these special collections you can bring home.
Designed for children in third through fifth grade, each kit contains books and related games or activities encouraging children to develop a love of reading.
Discovery Kits
A variety of ages can explore STEM (science, engineering, technology, and math) at home with a Siouxland Libraries Discovery Kit. Each kit contains books, tools, toys, and a binder with instructions.
Reading Kits
Reading Kits are designed to help beginning readers develop and practice core reading skills: background knowledge, comprehension, decoding, and fluency.
Though the routine of school is paused for the summer, you can create a new one with regular visits to the library. These programs are just a peek at what we’re offering—explore our full events calendar to find even more ways to keep your child learning, exploring, and having fun all summer long.