The key to keeping kids reading over summer was to make it enjoyable, said Louise Turner, who did her doctoral thesis on the effect of summer on children's learning.
"Dare to Explore and what they're doing with the libraries is fantastic because it's addressing the summer issue - keeping them actively engaged in reading over summer, which is stunning," she said.
Turner started a summer reading programme in 2007 with 10 mostly low-decile schools in South Auckland.
Children chose a selection of books, which were re-stocked at three points over the summer by a liaison person who checked to see how each family was going with the programme.
The results, based on reading tests given at the end of the year and immediately after the summer holidays, were positive.
"The kids who gain significantly over the summer are the kids who are below or well below in their reading. So we're seeing significant gains."
Dare to Explore made similar findings last year - children who had lower confidence benefited most.
This year a te reo component will be added to encourage bilingual learning.
Turner has run her study every summer since 2007 and the results consistently showed that when kids kept reading, they retained - and improved - their skills.
However kids couldn't do this on their own; parental involvement was an important part of fostering a love of reading in children, she said.
"It's got to be enjoyable. For parents to have a special time that's reading time, and they sit down with their child and read to them or they read it together."
Michelle Timoti-Hohaia and her three children spend a chunk of their summer out of the sun and sand - instead burying themselves in books.
The family - including Rita, 9, Arotia, 7 and Hemi, 4 - switch reading with outdoor activities like swimming to ensure the kids don't forget what they've learned during the year.
"The Christmas holidays are a really long break," said Timoti-Hohaia. "If you're not on top of it, the kids can go back to school and they've taken a backwards step."
For the past four years, the Otahuhu family have taken part in the Dare to Explore programme, in which children complete tasks for a reward. Last year's challenges included making a tent and doing origami, which earned them a trip to the Stardome in Epsom.
"For kids from this kind of area who don't have a lot of money that's a big thing," Timoti-Hohaia said. "Plus, we get to spend time as a family - all the kids want is that one-on-one attention and reading is a great way to give them that."
Six tips for parents
• Take time to read to or with your kids at least once a day for at least 15 minutes. Reading aloud is helpful even if the child is not reading the words themselves because it creates an engagement with text.
• Take them to the library and let them choose the books they want, which will keep them motivated. If [a book is about] something they're interested in, the kids will want to read it.
• Talk about the book with them - this helps build understanding of new vocabulary and will answer questions they might have.
• Try "incidental reading" - point out signs or words you see while you're out and about and talk about what they mean.
• Be a role model - kids will be more interested in reading if they perceive their parents as readers.
• Keep it fun. Reading shouldn't be a chore for kids and if they see it as homework they won't want to do it.
