How to Make Summer Reading Lists Fun
What’s on your family’s summer reading list?
Reading during the summer has proven to reduce the typical summer slide. Kids go back to school retaining more knowledge than the year before. It’s also a great way to keep kids’ entertained in a screen-free educational way.
Reading – especially summer reading – sometimes gets a bad rep. Rather than making reading a chore, it’s important to make it something our children look forward to doing. I’ll never forget the advice from my children’s elementary school librarian: “Reading is reading. If your child enjoys it, let them read it and build from there.” Here are some quick tips to make your child’s summer reading list fun for you and them:
1- Gamify Your Summer Reading List
Gamification is where you take a difficult or unmotivating task and make it more fun by turning it into a game. One way to gamify summer reading is with a summer reading challenge. Kids are challenged to either read more frequently or read different genres. It can be a really fun way.
2- Rewards For Your Summer Reading List
Set up a reward system for how often they read or how many minutes they read. Rewards could be special treats, extra screen time, or even a special toy or game that they have been wanting. Ideally, they read because they want to read, but sometimes kids just need a little external motivation.
3- Add Reading to your Daily Routine
Whether you add reading to your kids’ morning routine or bedtime routine, hooking reading to something that gets done every day anyway is an easy way to incorporate daily reading. It is more difficult to try to make a new routine that includes reading than it is to add it to an existing routine.
4- Offer a Variety of Reading Materials
Often when we think of reading we think of sitting down and reading a book. I would challenge you to think of reading in all forms as valid. Whether your child prefers magazines, graphic novels, comics, or books, they are still reading. Audiobooks are another way to get more reading in. Studies show that audiobooks are as good as reading a typical book.
Getting your kids to read more this summer could mean an easier transition back into school this fall. Incorporate reading into their normal routines, offer a variety of reading materials, and give rewards for reading.
Are you looking for some reading material ideas? Look no further. Here are some recommendations from fellow blogging friends of mine:
Summer Reading Lists
Here are book suggestions for your tween and teen children to read during the summer ... or any time of year!
