Summer is coming and let's face it, the kids really do deserve a break. School is hard and exhausting work and they need a chance to unwind, reset their brains and focus on playtime! That being said, we cannot let our kids’ reading abilities suffer during the time that they are not in school. So much time is wasted at the beginning of the school year simply because kids are trying to catch back up again. Let’s make sure that doesn’t happen.
So how do you make sure that your
kids’ reading abilities don’t falter? Well, I have put together some easy
tricks to keep your kids reading this summer. Tricks so great that they
don’t even realize that they are learning and working their brains during
vacation.
Summer Reading Programs at your
Local Library
Sign up your kids for the Summer
Reading Program at your local library. These programs are so much more
than just “going to the library.” Typically, a Summer Reading Program
offers a weekly gathering with a new entertainer or activity each week for the
kids to enjoy. I have seen jugglers, “reptile guys”, puppeteers,
scientists, artists and lots more. In addition, the programs offer prizes
to the kids for their reading efforts. The prizes are often awarded
weekly for participation as well as incentives to win bigger prizes at the end
of the Summer based upon how many books that they have read throughout the
program.
Reading Challenges at Chain
Bookstores and Restaurants
Many large bookstores offer reading
challenges for kids in which they reward them with a free book when they have
completed the challenge. Additionally, I have seen chain restaurants
offer coupons for free food items (pizzas, ice cream, etc)
for a specific amount of reading.
Fun, Printable Worksheets
Do you ever spend any time on
Pinterest? (haha
just kidding, of course you do...we all do) Well, from now on, take a little
bit of time on Pinterest and search out some fun, printable reading and writing
worksheets, word search forms, etc. to print out. Your kids will have fun
doing these activities without even realize that they are, in fact, practicing
up their reading. (keywords: FREE READING ACTIVITIES or FREE READING WORKSHEETS)
Read Out of the Ordinary Books
So, maybe your kid just won’t sit
down and read a big book, but maybe they will love to sit down and check out a
kids magazine, a comic book or a graphic novel. It really doesn’t matter
what they are reading. The fact is that they are building upon their
reading skills regardless of what they are reading, let them have fun with it.
If your kids are age 7 and younger,
you might consider letting them play online at abcmouse.com. They have
fun games that the kids really enjoy playing, but they are all educational
based. That’s right, they are playing games and learning! There are
other similar websites out there as well, but abcmouse.com is a favorite of many
kids. The first month is free!
Have you found any great tricks to
keeping your kids reading during their school vacation times?
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