Summer Reading Adventures
By Brenda Hyde
Each summer my kids can't wait to sign up for our
library's summer reading program. I encourage everyone to do this with their children. It's free, fun and rewarding for the kids!
Most programs work the same: the kids make a pledge
to read a certain number of books, and they hand in a sheet with the
book titles and the authors' names near the end of the summer. I feel that
reading with our kids and teaching them a love of reading
is one of the most important things we can do as parents
and grandparents. Here are some simple tips to promote
a summer of reading:
Look at your summer schedule and make a plan for
visits to the library, how many books each child will
be allowed to check out and set times for a reading
period each day when no television or radio is allowed
and everyone reads on their own. This might seem
rigid, but from experience I know that the summer
days go quickly and are very busy which often makes
it hard to include time for reading unless you MAKE
it part of your schedule.
Set aside a spot on a bookshelf or a table where all
library books will be kept. The only exception is if one
of the kids is reading a chapter book they can keep it
on their bedroom headboard to read before bed, but
must return it when it's finished before grabbing the
next one. This teaches responsibility, plus it's simply
necessary to keep track of the library books.
Once a week set aside a family reading discussion,
rather like a mini book club, to talk about what each
person is reading, what they liked and didn't like,
what they learned and their impressions of the books
they have read so far. After my son read Adventures of
Huckleberry Finn we had some great talks!
Encourage kids to write book reviews. It makes
the kids feel special and helps them to share their thoughts about
the books that they read! Don't make it "homework". Use
the reviews as would journals to record thoughts and experiences.
You can buy
each child a notebook and ask them to journal their
thoughts after each reading period or once a week. Give the little
ones a notebook too and ask them to draw pictures
of what they remember about the books you read to them.
If you have toddlers and non-reading kids along with
older children, have them share the reading aloud
times. We read at night before bed, and though my
daughter is only 3, her brothers, who are 9 and 10, love
listening to the stories we choose for her. I will often
read a book aloud, then the second book is read by
the boys, who take turns. This makes an impression
on all of the children!
Hint: if you have small children
their attention span will be much shorter then the older
kids, so you've got to keep things moving. Start out by
reading yourself with as much expression as possible
then let the older kids take short turns reading so things
move along and you can read the final pages. I find this
really helps to keep a toddlers attention on the reading.
Use reading themes to make things interesting. My toddler
loves when we read groups of books on gardening, cats,
dogs, insects, bunnies, ocean life and farm animals.
Older kids love themes such as castles, science,
mysteries, dinosaurs, ocean life (a hit with big and
little kids!), super heroes, dragons, and nature. It also helps
the kids to narrow down their selections while you are at the
library trying to get everyone what they need. It's often
too hard for them to choose.
Be an example! Take time to check out your own
books and share with the kids what you are interested in.
They need to see that you are a reader too! You'll find
that reading inspires the imagination in all of us, no
matter what our age, and it makes the summer fun for
the entire family.
About the Author:
Brenda Hyde is a freelance writer, editor and owner
of Old Fashioned Living.com. She is also a wife and
mom to three children who love to read.
