It’s time for summer reading! There are so many reasons we love summer reading. I love giving children the freedom of picking any book they want. They can try a book that’s beyond their level. They can revisit old friends in favorite books from when they were little.
A few ideas to make summer reading amazing:
1. Visit library book sales. I love being able to say “pick any books you want” and at $1 or so a book it is still an inexpensive afternoon. Or go on the last day when they have amazing deals like fill a bag with books for $5.
2. Get your child their own library cards…. make that milestone a special trip to the library.
3. Sign up for summer reading through your library. At our library, the children receive prizes for reading. If your library doesn’t have a summer reading program, buy a few fun little items (pencils, erasers, chalk, thinking putty) and start your own summer reading challenge.
4. Summer surprise…Children come home from school that last day and are so excited for the freedom summer brings, and 5 minutes later they are telling you they are bored. Surprise them with a summer bag of goodies…a book, a water toy, and a treat (change this slightly and it’s a great summer treat for mom or dad too!).
5. Encourage your children to revisit favorite books. Hearing them laugh revisiting an old favorite like Piggie & Elephant is a treat for you and for them even if they are well past the Piggie & Elephant target audience age.
6. Throw a book party. Dress up as your favorite characters. Have a Harry Potter party…watch the movie, wear your house colors, and drink butter beer.
7. Donate old books. This might seem like the odd item on this list but I’ve found that when we go through their bookshelves and donate books, my children find several books they meant to read but completely forgot about. Plus, I like the balance of when something new comes into the house, something old we no longer use goes out.
8. Pick a book to read as a family read aloud book. There’s something magical about reading books aloud. Maybe even light a fire and make s’mores after your read aloud.
9. Read a book your child recommends to you. My children love recommending books to me and they get so excited when they see me reading their recommendations. It seems to make them excited to read more and find another great book to recommend.
10. Just have fun. Summer reading should be fun. No pressure, just enjoy.
