The (Lesser Known) Benefits of Reading

Everyone knows that reading is important. Not only have societies valued literacy for centuries, in work and for pleasure, but it is the only mode of learning that is used in virtually every academic domain. Reading builds vocabulary and teaches people about any subject matter they could possibly want to learn. Most people know that increased reading is linked to improved grades, test scores, and even IQ. But there are nonacademic benefits to reading that many people don't know about. Here are some of the lesser known reasons why we should all pick up a book every day:

Decrease Stress, Increase Empathy

Now is the perfect time to incorporate reading into your family's daily routine if it isn't there already. We can all use some new ways to bring calm into our lives during these stressful times. Choose a time of the day most convenient and conducive to quiet, peaceful reading. You will reap the benefits no matter what time of day, but reading right before bed, especially in place of watching TV or scrolling on a smartphone, will be particularly beneficial and is more likely to lull you into a deeper, more restorative sleep. In addition to stress reduction, new perspectives found in both fiction and nonfiction books help strengthen the muscle in the brain responsible for empathy, so a reading routine will not only improve your child's brain but also their relationships. 

Improve Physical Health

While reading is primarily an exercise for the brain, other body systems benefit from it as well. Reading has been proven to lower blood pressure and heart rate and calm nerves. Think of it as a more intellectually engaging form of meditation! 

Alleviate Depression

Studies have shown that reading can actually ease some of the symptoms of depression. While the blue light of TV and computer screens can worsen symptoms, print books can have the reverse effect. Even for those who don't suffer from clinical depression, the escape that books offer can help children and adults alike cope with trauma and adversity in a healthy way.

Improve Family Relationships

Finally, read together! No matter what this looks like for your family, try to build in a daily, weekly, or even monthly routine where everyone is sitting down together and reading. Whether it's the same book out loud, or different books independently, families who read together are stronger, happier, and healthier.

Talking to Your Kids About Next School Year

None of us know quite yet what the upcoming school year will bring. Every expert seems to have a different opinion about what’s in students’ collective best interest. Even though we do not know exactly what the fall will look like, we can help our children begin to mentally prepare for whatever form the school year takes. Here are some of the comments your kids might make as they slowly begin to prepare themselves for the unknown, and how you can respond. 

“I want to go back to school to see my friends.”

This is a popular argument, and a compelling one. Socialization, both unstructured and in the context of skill-building, is just as crucial for a child’s healthy development as robust academics. But even if school is in person to any extent, your kids should not expect it to look like what they remember. They certainly won’t be able to huddle in the corner of the school yard with their friends at recess. They might not even be able to sit with their friends at the lunch table, as schools are likely to have students eating in their classrooms, alone at their own desks. Playing contact sports with their friends is definitely out. Their social life as they know it will be completely different.

“I want to go back to school because that’s where I learn best.”

For students who genuinely enjoy school for the academics and in-person learning, the prospect of more remote learning is especially heart-breaking. But for those students who are spending their summer hoping to go back in the fall, this time is an excellent opportunity to do some reflecting on what exactly makes their in-person experience particularly preferable. A great place to start is to take a learning style quiz, which will tell students if they are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners. From there, you or their tutor can help them find resources and strategies to directly address the way they learn best. That way, even if they are required to learn from home again, they’ll have the tools they need to make the most of it.

“I am worried about going back to school because of everything I hear on the news.”

If your children have had more media exposure than you’ve intended, you’re not alone. Even the most conscientious of parents struggle to shield their children from everything. The best response to this anxiety is the reassurance that if schools are in session, teachers, administrators, and building staff will be doing everything possible to keep everyone in the building safe.

For the most part, these types of comments all boil down to one thing: kids want their lives to go back to normal. Unfortunately, no matter what happens, that just isn’t an option. But we can help our kids see that “normal” to them actually just means safe, predictable, and routine, and we can definitely help them establish those things no matter what the school year has in store.

Smarter College

We spend a lot of our time at Smarten Up working alongside parents to support students as they grow toward adulthood, preparing them for the independence that comes once they leave home. However, data suggests that many students struggle to make that leap at first, as they jump abruptly into a new environment and way of working outside of the context they have carefully learned to navigate. Our Smarter College program addresses this gap in support.

The new context of college is, in several important ways, more complicated than what came before it, and requires different skills. Increasingly, researchers have shown that scores on traditional admissions exams such as the ACT and SAT are not a very good predictor of success in college; high school GPA is a better indicator, suggesting that hard work and good habits are key in either context (Hiss & Vicks, 2014). Still, as Bryan Goodwin and Heather Hein point out in their article “The X Factor in College Success,” most of what determines whether a student will succeed in college (and later in life) “seems to lie outside the tidy box” of either grades or test scores. And although more students than ever are successfully matriculating to some form of university education, only 59% will graduate in five years or less, according to US Department of Education figures from 2015. 

This data suggests that students must aim beyond traditional academics to consider the ‘X Factor’ skills they will need as they enter a new period of independence and development. Smarter College is a transition mentorship program that is designed to support students’ movement toward independence and help them to get the most of the college experience they’ve worked so hard to have. Our intention is for these skill lessons to complement the work students are doing in school, so the schedule can (and should) be adapted according to each student’s individual needs. If you have a student preparing for college next year -- particularly in this strange quarantine time, full of uncertainty on every front -- reach out for more information on the Smarter College program.

A Summer of Books: Part 2

In last week's post, we gave some recommendations for great summer reading for middle and high schoolers. This week, we'll be giving some suggestions for reads your younger ones will love diving into this summer.

For younger readers who need more pictures than words

‘Good Night’ books - From Hong Kong and the Taj Mahal, to trains and unicorns, just about every kid will find something they want to say “good night” to. Modeled after the original Goodnight Moon, the simple language and vivid drawings captivate young readers.

Pete the Cat - Between Pete’s lovability and the author’s subtle humor, both kids and adults love these books and the shenanigans Pete gets into.

Jellybeans - This series begins with four students meeting in a dance class and becoming friends even though they don’t have much in common. It sends an important and powerful message about people pulling together despite differences.

Little Elliot books These books tell heartwarming tales of an adorable polka-dotted elephant who goes on various adventures and always learns something by the end. Any child who loves cute animals will fall in love with Little Elliot.

For The History Buffs (and those who like adventure)

Who Was… These books provide digestible biographies of many of history’s most important people, with the express purpose of appealing to kids.

Magic Treehouse If your child seems ready to transition to chapter books, but neither of you is sure where to start, give this series a try. The worlds Jack and Annie travel to are filled with magic, fantasy, and true historical facts. Most kids can’t put these books down.

Little Leaders books This short collection specifically celebrates important black historical figures, many of whom are not taught in history books (and should be).

If you Lived… These books teach about periods of history that might feel boring and unrelatable to some kids, and present the facts in a high-interest, super relatable way.

For the Reluctant Reader

Mercy Watson An endearing series about a pig who has joined the Watson family, and gets into all kinds of innocent mischief.

Dogman books (and many other graphic novels for young readers) These books, and many like them, have turned sour readers into book aficionados, because sometimes when you’re reading a comic, you can forget that it’s actually also a piece of literature.

Miami Jackson Series Not only is the main character super relatable and charmingly imperfect, but many 4th graders will also find it easy to connect with its content.

Luis Sachar books Aside from his most famous novel, Holes, which most kids who read absolutely love, his series Wayside School is uniquely comprised of “chapters” that each tell its own mini-story, but which together tell a larger tale about the characters in the series. And for any child who appreciates comedy, Luis Sachar’s writing is filled with kid-approved hilarity.

Other tips for cultivating a relationship with reading

Besides encouraging your child to read books on their own, there are other steps you can take to help them build a positive relationship with reading. When your busy schedule allows it, take the time to discuss books with your kids. This could include something as simple as asking them their favorite part, or can be as complex as asking them what feelings are elicited by a particular moment or theme in the book. You can even talk to your kids about what (age-appropriate) parts of your books you find most interesting!

Getting kids to actually sit down and read is often more than half the battle, but if you can go the extra mile to help them think through their experience with the book, they will be even more likely to develop confidence, improve their comprehension skills, and fall in love with reading.

For more book ideas for young and emerging readers, click here. And for further summer learning opportunities, sign up for one of our Smarter Summer workshops, running now through the rest of the summer.

A Summer of Books

Social media sites have revolutionized the way we communicate. Zoom has now radically altered meetings and classroom time. In this week’s post, we take it back to one of the transformative technological innovations of all time: the book. As we head into week two of the Smarter Summers program, we’ve put together a few reading recommendations —just the greatest hits — for students in middle and high school, so that your students can take up this time-tested tool for escape and education. 

Middle School

The Seeds of America trilogy, by Laurie Halse Anderson is a captivating work of historical fiction. Chains, the first book in the series, follows Isabel and Curzon, as they navigate Revolutionary war-era New York City, struggling for their freedom and the freedom of an emerging nation. 

Beloved children’s author Jerry Spinelli has a couple of tried and true classics for the middle school age group: Star Girl and Maniac Magee. Both are deceptively profound stories of kids amongst themselves, with important lessons for any reader. 

And for students interested in a well-told tale full of adventure, fantasy, and clever plot, we recommend the Artemis Fowl series, by Eoin Colfer (which has just been the subject of a so-so film adaptation), and the Percy Jackson series, by Rick Riordan. Both offer the chance to dig into an exciting world that extends across multiple books, to keep kids reading all summer long. 

High School

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a classic of dystopian literature, and a great read; if you’re looking for more bite-sized and engaging stories, Bradbury has written a treasure trove of them, many of which are set in summertime. Check out classic collections like Dandelion Wine, The Illustrated Man, and The Martian Chronicles. 

Everyone should read the Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. This tale of a family adapting to survive as they migrate west to California has important resonance with our current moment. And like Bradbury, Steinbeck was a prolific author with several works worth digging into: East of Eden, The Pearl, Of Mice and Men, and more. 

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Leguin is perfect for the high schooler interested in fantasy, who is ready to graduate from the usual middle school fodder -- this book is often cited as LeGuin’s greatest, and her work remains groundbreaking and relevant today. 

Tools and Tips for Summer Learning at Home

In last week’s post, we discussed why it is so crucial for students to remain engaged with learning this summer in order to maintain (and even progress) the gains they’ve worked so hard to earn over the course of the school year. We know most parents and caretakers have their hands full, so we’ve put together a collection of ideas for educational summer activities kids will actually want to do, some online and some off. 

Digital Learning Experiences

Whether spent with family or on a class field trip, some of the most exciting out-of-classroom learning experiences happen at museums. But since so many are closed, they are bringing their exhibits to you! Check out the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s #metkids program, where young travelers can hop in a time machine and choose any time period, region, or idea to explore. Participate in the weekly STEM challenge with the Boston Museum of Science’s #mosathome. Or visit any one of these museums, offering virtual tours from the comfort of your couch.

If your child is more into living exhibits, they can also virtually visit some of the world’s most famous zoos and aquariums. Many zoos around the world have set up webcams in the enclosures of some of their most popular residents. Younger students can practice their inferencing skills by writing down their observations of what the animals are doing, then brainstorming the reasons for that behavior. Middle school students can compare and contrast the habitats, foods, and climates of different animals in the zoo. High school students can research animals in the wild versus in captivity, and write a persuasive essay arguing for or against zoos.

Other institutions offering online resources are National Geographic for Kids, Discovery Kids, iCivics, and NASA. And for more online learning ideas, WideOpenSchool offers amazing resources (free and paid) with new content being added every day.

For TV and movie lovers, turn down the volume and turn on closed captioning. Or watch in another language! It’ll be impossible to follow what’s going on without reading those subtitles.

And for more structured online learning, sign up for Smarten Up’s Smarter Summers group workshops. We’re offering weekly workshops for elementary, middle, and high schoolers in June and August. Elementary courses run 1.5 hours a day and include meaningful and engaging activities in all core subject areas. For older students, check out our more targeted list of offerings, like Expository Writing, Persuasive Writing, and Math Problem-Solving.

Continuing the Learning Offline

For those whose children have had a little (or a lot!) too much screen time, there are plenty of off-screen learning opportunities, too. One great way to kick off a summer of learning is for kids to write a letter to their future self. This could be a letter for their end-of-summer self, their next-year self, or even their 18th-birthday self! Or they could write one to be opened at different milestones in their future. These letters are often extra powerful when they write down a goal they have for themselves (whether or not it’s academic), as having those goals in writing make them much more achievable. Worried about losing them? Students can either type their letters online and send them to themselves with a delivery date in the future with Boomerang, or parents can help by doing the same thing with a picture of the letter.

If your kids like to cook, have them follow a recipe and convert measurements from U.S. units to metric, or vice versa, or have them double (or triple) a recipe. And if cooking is less interesting to them than playing with their food, have them engineer and build a food structure using toothpicks and bite-size foods like grapes, blueberries, etc. Kids can plan out their structure, making predictions for how tall they can make it and how many toothpicks they’ll need. Then have them test their hypothesis.

If your kids have an affinity for writing, encourage them to craft a play, comic book, magazine, or newspaper. For the playwright in the family, offer to do a family reading of the finished product. If they opt for a comic book and need some help on the artistic end, they can enlist some friends or siblings. And magazine and newspapers are always easy to make a team effort. Your child can be the editor-in-chief, and friends or family can contribute articles, op-eds, advertisements, etc.

However your child’s learning takes place, make sure they’re excited by it. Summer is certainly not a time to veg out on the couch all day, but it’s also not the time to “cram” in learning that might make your child bored, or worse, resentful of that learning. Summer should be about filling our days with activities that are fun, spark curiosity, and help us learn something along the way.

Summer School?

Parents and educators alike are worried about the potential for “learning loss” given months away from the classroom; it’s a phrase that, along with “coronavirus slide,” has recently been popping up in news articles and opinion pieces with some frequency. In this week’s post, we look into the research, and suggest a way to reframe the issue around potential for growth.

The general anxiety around the shutdown’s effect on student learning is justified, given the unprecedented nature of this year’s disruption. In response, some school districts are considering adding Saturday or evening courses when schools reopen, while California Governor Gavin Newsom has even suggested re-starting school as early as July in an attempt to make up for lost time. These initiatives often use research around summer learning loss to make predictions about how much material students may be missing as a result of school closures.

Academic studies in the late 1980s and 1990s, including an oft-cited meta-analysis by Harris Cooper, established the concept of summer learning loss as a major driver of student achievement gaps. According to these studies, the average student might lose as much as a month of progress in math and reading levels, which, compounded over several years of schooling, could accumulate to a significant disadvantage. Using these measures, one research group suggested that the “coronavirus slide” in combination with normal summer learning loss could result in a year’s worth of catch-up in math and science subjects. 

More recent work, though, suggests that the reality is more complex; while many students do indeed lose ground academically over the summer, others stay at a similar level, and some are even able to continue to progress. These results support a conclusion that might seem intuitive: the classroom is not the only place where students learn, and for certain students, it’s not even the most important. Rather, a supportive home environment, paired with project-based learning and targeted summer activities -- some with an academic bent, along with others that are more creative and/or social -- can ensure that students continue along their unique educational trajectories. 

The challenge presented by coronavirus is substantial, and we will need to address content that students may have learned more shallowly in a digital environment, along with the social and emotional effects of isolation. But there is hope to be had in the realization that learning comes in many forms, and targeted doses of academic practice over the summer can have a significant effect. If you’re looking for a summer learning experience for your student, consider one of our Smarter Summers workshops, which are designed for just this purpose. 

Talking to Your Kids About Race

With the amount of screen time children of all ages have been getting, we assume your children are aware of and curious about the demonstrations occurring across our country. Explaining the historical and social context behind the racial inequality that has sparked recent events may feel overwhelming. So much so, that for many of us, our gut reaction is to avoid the topic altogether. This may be what feels safest in order to avoid saying the wrong thing or making a tumultuous situation seem scary. These fears are common. However, avoiding these conversations doesn’t make the times we are living in any less difficult and confusing. There are age-appropriate ways to tackle these important issues when children are ready and especially if they are asking questions. Here are our recommendations for how to have these conversations with children so that this challenging time can lead to understanding and growth.

Listen 

First, listen carefully to what your child says, what she asks, and what she already knows. There is no need to go into great detail about what is going on in the world if your child is not ready and curious. Meet her where she is. It is also possible that your child may not actually have any questions, and might just need to get the message from you that it’s okay to talk about what’s happening and how it is making her feel. Just acknowledge, reassure, and sympathize. You don’t always have to have the “right” thing to say.

Be Honest

If your child does have questions, answer him honestly without skirting around complicated topics. If you aren’t sure how to begin the conversation, Maryland-based pediatrician, Dr. Jacqueline Douge, suggests wording it like this: “There are things happening in the news that are upsetting us. Unfortunately there were police officers that made bad choices for the wrong reasons because of the color of our skin.” Children are more capable than we realize of understanding issues regarding race and racism, and downplaying it or pretending that it doesn’t exist won’t do anyone any good.

Celebrate Differences

Teach your child that it is okay to notice observable differences between people. If they notice a person with brown skin on the street and make a remark, agree with them. Noticing skin color is not racist. When they notice these differences, teach your children to celebrate them. Trying to be “colorblind” may be a well intentioned response, but it is not effective. When we are taught to “not see color,” we are taught that the color of one’s skin or the texture of their hair is not part of their identity; that their race is not part of their identity. And for many children, especially non-white children, this can be a confusing and damaging message.

Increase Exposure to Positive Narratives About People of Color 

Empirical data shows that people of color are underrepresented in media, advertising, and virtually all public outlets, and that crimes committed by black people are reported at significantly higher rates than their many outstanding accomplishments. So read an article or book about a black inventor with your child, update your library to include more black authors, and if you have young children, make sure their toy or doll collection is not made up entirely of just one shade.

Use Literature to Help Guide the Conversation

This article has some fantastic resources to help supplement these conversations. In addition to providing a list of powerful books for every age group, it also offers important insight into why it’s so crucial to start these conversations early and to keep them going. It suggests including books about racism in your library, and more importantly, books with non-white protagonists. 

Do Some Reflecting of Your Own

One of the most meaningful ways to develop an antiracist mindset is to do some self-exploration of our own by asking ourselves these questions: What awareness do I have about my own privilege? How has racism affected me or not affected me? What prejudices might I have of my own, and how can I remedy them so as not to pass them on to my kids (even if unwittingly)? When we can recognize the ways in which we are and are not helping the problem, we will be better equipped to raise the next generation of empathetic agents of change.

Additional Resources

• Listen to (or read the transcript of) this podcast on NPR with the author of Raising White Kids

• Read this article from National Geographic which discusses in further depth the importance of talking about race and racism, as well as how racism can be present in ways we might not even realize, even when we don’t intend it.

• Watch Sesame Street’s town hall racism on CNN.

• And if you’d like to support black- and minority-owned businesses in your area, visit or download the Mobb App.

Creative Responses

The past few months have brought significant disruption to everyday life, the effects of which we may only now be starting to reckon with. While parents and teachers have done their best to maintain a sense of normalcy and routine in quarantine, even the best-run online school program is a serious adjustment for kids, and unsettling news from the outside world has a way of finding its way to young ears. Thankfully, kids have a great capacity for adaptability and resilience; however, they are also remarkably sensitive to change and will, like all of us, need to find a healthy way to process these extraordinary circumstances. One way parents can enable this healthy processing is by encouraging a new creative outlet. 

-Music offers one avenue for creativity, and summer at home could be a great time to pick up a new instrument! Learning to play an instrument has well-documented benefits for cognition, in addition to opening up a new form of self-expression. 

-Creative writing is another great option, since it develops skills in self-expression that students can use in their academic work as well, not to mention in their approach to communication outside of the classroom. This can take many forms — for a guided introduction to poetry or playwriting, check out our offerings at Smarter Summers. 

-For students who are visually inclined, offer the chance to experiment with art materials to paint, draw cartoons, or sketch — and seek out Youtube tutorials for project ideas and quick lessons. For tactile learners, consider clay or simple sculpting materials. 

-In addition to flexing their own creative muscles, students can benefit from taking in the creativity of others. Guide students toward creative works to read, watch, or listen to, and then engage them in conversation about their reactions.  

The goal of any of these options is to encourage low-risk creativity as a way for your students to express themselves this summer while developing new skills at the same time. And of course: feel free to get creative about what creativity means to you, and in your context! 

Having Fun Offline: 14 Screen-Free Activities

Two weeks ago, we wrote a post featuring our favorite web-based resources to supplement online learning. At this point, your children are probably getting plenty of daily screen time, and you may be looking for some creative, screen-free ideas to fill their long days. Below we’ve compiled a list of some creative and motivating activities that (mostly) won’t require screens. They also won’t require you to buy tons of materials or devote hours of your day to your kids’ entertainment, although many of these activities are way more fun when a parent gets involved. Some of them might just require a few minutes of prep on your part, in exchange for an enriching, and hopefully engaging morning, afternoon, or evening. The ideas below are categorized by age group, but there are no rules saying that high schoolers can’t do puzzles, or that a 4th grader can’t journal! These activities are beneficial for all ages.

Elementary

Scavenger Hunt The beauty in this activity is that you can put just about any items on your list and your child will be thrilled. To make it extra exciting, try coming up with clues for where objects are (but if you’re pressed for time, a simple list of objects will still be super fun.)

Crafts Give them a bunch of empty containers, some scrap paper, buttons, some glue or tape, markers, and/or whatever else you have lying around, and let their imaginations do the rest!

Puzzles The original stay-at-home activity, and extremely underrated. Puzzles of all kinds are great for cognitive development.

Dance Preferably together, but there’s nothing wrong with dancing alone to some upbeat tunes. It’s great exercise, blows off energy, and physical breaks help stimulate the brain. Win-win-win!

Get a Pen Pal from one of these websites. (Okay, so this activity does start online.) Once they’ve found a penpal, you can do the actual sending yourself by snapping a picture of their letter and emailing it off. Or better yet, have them write to each other using snail mail! Nothing is more exciting to a kid than the novelty of sending a letter through the mail!

Middle School

Redecorate These years are all about changes. Their bodies change, their minds change (every few seconds, it seems), and their brains change constantly. Let them rearrange their rooms (with your help if moving heavy furniture around). 

Make a “vision board” Give them some old magazines and a piece of cardboard if you have some lying around. Not only can it be a meditative activity, but being able to visualize their goals and aspirations without having to put them into words will be extremely cathartic. Here’s a pretty compelling argument for their effectiveness.

Take something apart Then try to put it back together. This is how engineers are born. Just make sure it’s something that doesn’t need reassembly, just in case, like an old remote control that doesn’t work or a toy they haven’t played with in 5 years.

Dive into a Country Each week, have them choose a different country. They’ll research it (using paper books if possible, but this project might at some point involve screens), create a visual component that synthesizes their research, and then choose a recipe to make from that country. Bonus points if they’ll attempt to cook it themselves.

High School

Book Club Let them choose the book. If you don’t want to buy multiple copies, chances are you can find it through your local library’s online lending program. You will need to read it from a screen, but the book club part can be screen-free. Make it extra fun by sharing cookies and tea, or incorporate a theme like pajama book club or superhero book club.

Cook or Bake together. Or if you need a break, let them be in charge of dinner one night a week. They get to choose the entire menu, but they also get to prepare it. Just make sure they know the basics like how to make sure meat is cooked through, and how to handle a knife.

Voice their Passions Encourage them to identify an issue--any issue--that is important to them, and have them write letters to their local politicians. It’s never too early to get involved.

Journaling For many students, writing can be a powerful way to harness feelings that they otherwise don’t know what to do with. Journaling, and the promise of confidentiality that comes with it, can give students the safety and security they need to fully express themselves. It might even give them the courage to experiment with creative forms of writing like poetry or storytelling that they might otherwise be too self-conscious to try.

Photo Essays And for those who don’t necessarily like expressing themselves through words, photography can also be a healthy and healing outlet for students. Encourage them to use their photographs to tell a story, whether or not it is accompanied by actual words.

We at Smarten Up understand the daily struggle of balancing our own needs and responsibilities with the endless task of keeping our kids occupied. We may as well ensure that the activities we are using to fill that time are as enriching as possible, and address both their cognitive and emotional needs. And as difficult as it may be to find the time, try to devote at least a small amount of each day to actively listening to your child, whether it’s over a meal, completing a puzzle together, or discussing their favorite book.