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Research has shown that kids can lose up to three months of academic progress over the summer. Commonly referred to as the summer slide, this trend can easily be reversed by — you guessed it — reading. Developing excellent reading habits over the summer will help kids combat the summer reading slide and prepare them for the following school year.

6 ideas for combatting the summer reading slide:

1. Read at least 20 minutes a day. Like any skill, practice makes perfect. By reading every day, kids can develop good reading habits and retain their reading skills.

Take the next step: Have your kids track their progress! Use this reading log as a starting point.

2. Cook together. Having kids follow a recipe will not only result in a delicious meal, it also allows them to practice their reading comprehension and math skills — two skills that are important to keep up during the summer.

Take the next step: Try a recipe from Good Housekeeping's cookbook for kids!

3. Swap radio for audiobooks. Taking a road trip? Consider listening to an audiobook in place of the radio. This is a great way to brush up on listening comprehension skills.

Take the next step: Listen as you read along to Antoine de Saint-Exupery's classic, The Little Prince.

4. Invest in activity books. Find a book that combines learning with games. These will allow kids to practice their reading, writing, and math skills without feeling like they are back in school.

Take the next step: Scholastic has a great line of summer reading activity books available for kids going into kindergarten, 1st grade, 2nd grade, 3rd grade, 4th grade, and 5th grade.

5. Incorporate technology. Kids love technology — so why steer them away from it? Use it to your advantage by downloading educational games on mobile, tablet, or computer.

Take the next step: Check out this list of educational apps for kids that will keep them entertained while continuing to learn!

6. Encourage journaling. Writing skills can also be lost if not kept up with over the summer. Not only will kids practice these important skills, they will also have a great tool to remember the fun things they did over the summer!

Take the next step: Can't think of writing topics? Use this guide for ideas.

Need help coming up with summer reading ideas? Contact us for one-on-one support for book selections.

This post was written by Megan Habel, the brand strategist at BookPal. She is currently reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.