When summer comes around with its tantalizing warm days, both parents and
children breathe a sigh of relief. Everyone deserves a break from the busy
schedule of school. So enjoy sleeping a little later, relaxing a little
more and enjoying those beautiful summer days with plenty of outdoor fun
and some good old-fashioned laziness. But don’t forget one important thing:
children, especially younger school-aged children, need to keep on reading
during summer months or they’ll forget many of the reading skills they
learned this past school year.
Maybe your children are the lucky ones – those who learned to read as
easily as waking up each morning. There are children who seem to learn to
read almost without instruction, but most children aren’t so fortunate.
They need to practice their reading skills regularly because if they don’t,
they lose them. Can you remember how long a summer vacation used to seem?
When June came along there was an impossibly long series of days and weeks
before it was time for school again. Summer vacation can be months, a very
long time for a young learner. So be aware, be wise and make sure your
children practice their reading skills regularly over the summer months.
Here are some tips to make summer reading fun and rewarding.
- Plan a family reading challenge over the summer
months. When my own children were young, we brainstormed a series
of rewards to be earned during the summer. We set a few guidelines
such as minutes read per day or books per week, and when we were
successful in reaching that goal a reward was earned. The weekly
rewards were small ones such as stickers, small toys or maybe an
ice cream cone. But the big reward came at the end of the summer if
we met the requirements. That big reward might be a trip to the
beach or an overnight party with friends. Be sure to make a chart
and post it where it is visible. Then block out a time each day
when reading is the thing to do. Make allowances for illness,
company or other unforeseen events, but don’t allow too many
interruptions or your program will fly out the window like most New
Year’s resolutions.
- Your local library may have a summer reading program complete with themes and
lots of incentives. If so, you’re in luck. Make weekly visits to
the library to enjoy their story times, check out new books and
meet the requirements set by the children’s librarian. You may want
to add to their program so that reading daily is still the goal.
Once again, the best way to improve reading skills is by reading
more often and longer. Give individual support as needed. Listening
to a book read by an adult or older child also counts. Reading is
reading.
- More and more local bookstores are getting in on
the summer reading program trend. Check out your
local stores to see if they have ways to encourage young readers.
They may have a story hour, a theme-related program or focus on a
certain series of children’s books with fun activities related to
the selections.
- There are a very large number of children’s reading websites available online. Many
of the games and activities on these sites are as good as reading a
book. They’ll give practice in sounds and letters, provide
listening practice, encourage reading for meaning and a whole host
of other reading skills. Choose those sites that feature quality
literature and those in which the games are truly reading-related
and not just chasing a character around a screen. Here are several
excellent children’s reading websites. You can preview them before
allowing your children to spend time with them.- kidsreads.com
- pbskids.org
- smories.com
- goodsitesforkids.org
- storytimeforme.com
- timeforkids.com
- funbrain.com
- mrsp.com
- Children’s authors often have websites to promote their books. Some of these
sites are a wealth of information, crafts, reading games and more.
Take note of favorite authors as you interact with your children at
reading times, and then look by name for their websites.
janbrett.com and kevinhenkes.com are two I would recommend for
younger children. You’ll find more as you search for them.
- Another great family reading idea is to choose a chapter book the
entire family can enjoy and do a family read-aloud
. Books such as “Where the Red Fern Grows” or C.S. Lewis’s
“Chronicles of Narnia” make for hours and hours of family
enjoyment. Make some popcorn, gather around the living room or the
kitchen table and take turns reading aloud. Or use driving time
during vacations to listen to books on tape or enjoy read-alouds.
Children will remember these special family times and be exposed to
great literature at the same time.
- Parents, be readers yourself.
There is nothing more powerful to your children than setting an
example of the good reading habits you want them to develop. When
it’s reading time for them, try to arrange your day so you can
enjoy a book as well. Or if that isn’t possible, let them see you
select books from the library and enjoy them as you have time. Talk
about the books you read. What did you enjoy? Was it the
characters, the action or the theme of the book? Did the story make
you think about choices people have to make or did it make you
laugh? The world of books is filled with enjoyment and it’s part of
parenting to pass that knowledge on to our children.
- Adults often take part in book clubs. If you’ve
been a member of a book club, you know all about selecting a book,
reading a portion of it and then gathering to discuss the ideas.
Sometimes readers set personal goals such as researching the author
or the setting of the book. Snacks and treats go along with book
club gatherings. Why not create a family or neighborhood reading club for the kids? Make it a
fun time and one that all involved look forward to each week. Give
the group a name and plan an outing when the book is completed.
Sometimes art projects are a good way to extend the reading or
perhaps a skit or play. The possibilities are endless and your
children will see reading as an enjoyable way to spend time with
friends.
So there you have it. The big truth is that reading over the summer is
really important for young readers. Luckily, doing the reading can be a ton
of fun. Don’t allow all the hard- won reading skills earned in the past
school year to become rusty or forgotten over the summer. Find ways to make
reading practice truly fun, even exciting. Your enthusiasm for summer
reading will set the tone for your children. Grab those books and enjoy!
