Summer. Just the smell of sunblock can bring all the images of summer rushing in. Thoughts of swimming, grilling, snow cones, watermelon, late nights and lazy mornings come flooding in. And, of course, the joy of freedom from government tyranny, errr, I mean school.
5 Ways To Encourage Summer Reading
And for our family, there is one more really important part of summer – books. We are readers all year long, but summer kicks it up a notch.
My ten-year-old daughter has been scouring Pinterest for fifth grade summer reading lists for weeks. She’s compiling her own this year (which means I won’t have to fight her about any of them, woohoo!) and she’s already several books in. She honestly reads faster than I do. It’s painful to admit that.
My son, the rule-follower, is letting me make his list (oh the power) because he really only wants to fill out the library form. He likes to fill in the blanks, kinda like his Momma…
And for myself this year, I’ve declared freedom. Freedom from feeling like I *should* put certain books on my list. You know the ones I mean, the classics you never actually read in school. Or was that just me…. This year I’m reading what I want to read. I’m cruising my Amazon wish list and picking the best of the best! (If you want to peak at my list, it’s over here.)
If your kids are anything like mine, sometimes they need a little incentive to keep reading when their teachers aren’t pushing them. They like to read, but Minecraft and Netflix could easily win over a book. Here are a few ways you can encourage summer reading in your kiddos:
1. Find Summer reading programs:
If you have a public library then make that your first stop. Libraries are among the best places in the world (in my opinion) and anything that makes them more appealing to kids gets a gold star! There are lots of other free programs that we’ve used throughout the years. At Barnes and Noble you get to pick a free book after you finish reading eight. Scholastic has some great contests and prizes in their Summer Reading Challenge. Here’s a great list of programs to check out!
2. Offer Incentive:
What will encourage your kids the most? Money? Prizes? A trip? Agree together on a number of books and set a prize. Who doesn’t love prizes?! And while you’re at it….
3. Make it a contest:
If you have more than one child, make reading a contest for the summer. If you have only one, then he or she can always race you! A little healthy competition goes a long way.
4. Be a good example:
Whether our kids realize it or not, they do what we do. They will never understand the value of reading if we tell them to read a book but they never see us with one. Make reading a habit in your own life, and they are more likely to make it in theirs. Also, readers are much more likely to consistently read their Bible later in life. Who of us wouldn’t want that for our kids?
5. Read Aloud as a family:
It has been proven that one of the best ways to create a love of reading in your children is to read aloud together. This is not just for little ones who can’t read yet, it’s for everyone! Our family tries to make it a habit to read a chapter of a book together before we go to bed at night. Choose a book that the whole family will love (we loved the Narnia series!) and dig in.
I know that we, as Moms, are tired and overwhelmed a majority of time. I don’t want reading to be just one more thing on your list to get done or to feel guilty for not doing, but I do want to encourage you to start small. Even if it’s just picking up a magazine instead of your iPhone, or handing the kid’s a crossword book instead of the Wii remote, make it something you take baby steps toward. It is proven in so many ways that reading leads to a more successful life for our kids, and we all want to give our kids as much of a head start as we can.
Do you have a summer reading habit? What does your family do to encourage the love of books?
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