”If I can read, I can dream in new ways. If I can dream, I can dare to believe in what I dream about. If I can believe in what I dream of, I can become who I dream of becoming.”
This quote was the starting point for ”Reading is key” (Läsa äger). International studies shows that nearly every second student experiences a decline in reading skills during the summer holidays, a phenomenon known as ”summer reading loss”. The most fragile readers are affected the most. When school resumes after the summer break, the gap between those who can read and those who are not yet fluent in their reading has increased.
The team behind ”Reading is key” wanted to change this through a cross-professional approach. The initiative began as a pilot project in three schools located in socio-economically disadvantaged areas of Botkyrka, a municipality just outside Stockholm. The project was also followed and studied by researchers at Linnaeus University and Linköping University.
The key question was simple: Could reading engagement be sustained throughout the summer holidays, and could reading skills be maintained even among students who struggled the most? The answer was yes. The project made a measurable difference, and the greatest gains were seen among children with reading difficulties.
”Reading is key” was launched in 2018 with a clear ambition: to ensure that children continue reading throughout the summer holidays. The initiative is built on collaboration between multiple stakeholders, united by a shared commitment to every child’s right to belong to a reading community. A key component of the model is that teenagers are employed as paid summer trainees to read aloud to younger children at local leisure centres.
The results have been remarkable. Research shows that Reading is Key contributes to measurable improvements in both vocabulary development and reading comprehension.
The benefits extend beyond the younger children. The teenagers employed in the programme consistently report that the experience strengthens their own confidence, sense of responsibility, and connection to their community.
Part of the project is also about the joy of movement. Some children are drawn into reading sessions through football or other group activities before transitioning into shared reading. In addition to reading out loud in leisure centers, the programme includes parent meetings, where families receive information about the importance of reading and practical support like how to obtain library cards. After the first summer, library lending in Botkyrka increased by more than 600 percent.
Since its launch, Reading is Key has expanded from Botkyrka to more than a hundred locations across Sweden (and in Boston, Copenhagen and Åland!), with several additional municipalities preparing to join.
I hope you find this interesting and we would be delighted to tell you more. Please feel free to contact us:
Anneli Glamsare
Initiator Reading is key (Läsa äger)
anneli@bonniersfamiljestiftelse.se
Lovisa Fhager Logothetis
Secretary General, the Bonnier Family Foundation
lovisa@bonniersfamiljestiftelse.se