Many schools send kids off for summer vacation with a recommended reading list. But even the most avid reader can be easily lured away from books by the call of lazy summer afternoons or playing with friends outside.
To keep your child interested in books -- an especially important activity when school is out and a kid’s brain cells will probably be utilized a little too much on things like how to unlock great characters and vehicles in the Mario Kart Wii game -- get your child hooked on some stories now.
In our house, suspenseful series such as Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Secret Benedict Society and Harry Potter have been great hits. My 8-year-old and I take turns reading. He loves it when I snuggle with him and read to him but he also loves to read the books by himself when I’m making dinner.
So find something you and your child can both get into together this summer. And if you have to pry the books out of your grade-schooler’s hands and tell him to play outside once in a while, you’ll know that you’ve done your job!
What are your grade-schooler’s favorite books? What tips can you share about how to encourage reading throughout the summer?
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My 6 year old loves the Captain Underpants books but we will read just about anything together. Right now we are working on Charlotte’s Web.
Our local library has a summer reading program for the kids. Every week we fill out a sheet with the books that he’s read and he gets a little prize for turning it in. He likes reading anyway but it just makes it that much more fun for him.
Also, our State Fair does a similar program in the fall where they reward kids for reading books by giving them three free ride tickets.
I found this great book for keeping your kids on track over the summer. It’s great for building reading comprehension and vocabulary as well as writing skills over summer break.
It’s called Summer Daily Brainwork:
http://penningtonpublishing.com/toolkits.php?t=12