The school year is slowly but surely coming to an end, meaning parents are making summer plans for their children.

While all kids look forward to summer and a break from school, there’s also an unfortunate reality that comes along with all that “off time” — a decline in reading and other academic skills.

There are plenty of studies out there that show that kids who don’t read — or aren’t read to by a parent — during the summer suffer from it when the school year starts. Research shows that students who don’t engage in education activities during the summer months score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation.

The good news is that it’s easy to avoid the summer slide.

The easiest is to head to the library, giving your child a chance to check out books and explore many other reading materials.

We also encourage parents to talk to teachers about how to avoid the summer slide. They might suggest reading material or have an idea of what your child will need to study up on before moving on to the next grade.

In today’s electronics-based world, kids spend so much time on phones, computers, laptops and other devices. Kids often don’t see reading as fun as playing XBOX or Playstation, but it can be.

Children who find an interest in what they’re reading will often get lost in the characters and information in the book. There’s still plenty of time in the summer for playing video games, but putting limits on that time will stop children from spending their whole day holding a controller and staring at a television. There are ways to avoid the summer slide. Do your part to make sure child isn’t behind when they return to school in August.