It doesn’t matter the age of your child; every mom hopes her child will spend more of the summer reading than channel surfing. On the same day school ended in our city, an email arrived from the Superintendent of schools.
“Please remember that reading is a great way to keep engaged and learning over the summer. I encourage you to sign up for a Summer Reading Program at one of our local branch libraries – it’s free and for all ages. I invite our students to read consistently each day, and for our parents of younger children to make sure you take 20 minutes a day to read to you child.” ~ Dr. McIntyre
He’s right. Reading with a child goes a long way in fostering a love of reading, and library motivational programs are great, but they don’t work for everyone. Is there a guaranteed way to develop a summer reader who becomes a lifelong reader?
There is a way, and like so much of parenting, a love for reading in our children begins when we read by example.
Reading by Example
Recreation – Instead of turning on the TV yourself or spending your whole summer on Pinterest (don’t get me wrong … love Pinterest), pick up a book for your own enjoyment. Let your children see that you find pleasure in reading. If you’re heading to the pool, out for a picnic, for a long drive, or to the doctor’s office, take something that YOU want to read.
Information – It’s so easy to access information electronically, but one benefit we stand to lose is that of our kids seeing us read, highlight, and digest written information. While online sources are helpful, you will inspire your child to read if they see you reading a newspaper, studying a magazine, or highlighting a brochure.
Exploration – You know those historical markers on the side of the roads that no one stops to read? Kids are more likely to develop interest in reading and see it as valuable if you do something counter-cultural and pull over to explore the world through reading. Read at a museum, at a zoo, a cemetery, and even at a park bench with a dedication nameplate. If kids see that reading is a means of exploration, their curiosity will drive them to know more.
Inspiration – We may sign up for VBS and set goals for memorizing verses over the summer, but if our kids don’t see US read our Bible, they’ll know it’s not the real deal. If you aim to raise children who grow up to read for inspiration, let them see your example. They may not even mention it, but they’ll notice, they’ll remember, and they’ll be influenced.
Education – When did the words “School’s out!” start translating into “I don’t have to learn anything all summer?” Summer isn’t a time to check out mentally. In fact, I’ve found that summer is better for my children and me if we continue to learn. You don’t have to enroll them in classes or give homework; how about just naturally reading the ingredients on the cereal box or on food items as you shop? How about looking up information about a weed growing in your yard? Learning feeds an appetite for reading.
The words of Deuteronomy 6:7-9 talk about the commands of God, but also give us such wise principles for nurturing good things like reading in our children:
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Reading isn’t just for library story time. It’s also for the car and the porch and the beach and the waiting room and the sofa … wherever we do life and all the time. If we want to grow summer readers who are lifelong readers, we have to read by example.
What are you going to read this summer?
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