Summer vacation is a few weeks away, and many students can’t wait to fling their backpacks in a corner until it’s time to go school shopping again. But kids who live by the old poem “no more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks,†when school’s out are at a disadvantage.
It takes teachers up to six weeks to reteach skills forgotten during the summer and some kids never catch back up, according to Scholastic. One in five kids ages 12-17 and one in five kids in low income brackets don’t read a single book in the summer. Reading just four to five books can keep your kids on track.
Here are ten ways to make it happen:
1. Check Out Library Contests – Most libraries run summer reading incentive programs that give cool prizes like book marks, trophies and even movie and sporting event tickets to young readers. Have your child sign up with a friend or sibling to give more inspiration.
2. Sign Up for a Bookstore Program – Barnes and Noble, Half Price Books, Books-A-Million and other bookstores offer free books and prizes to kids for reading specified number of books in the summer.
3. Binge Read a Series – Just like they binge watch shows on Netflix encourage kids to binge read their favorite book series during the summer. Give them a pass on doing a few chores or let them stay up later to read.
4. Start a Book Club – Get your child and a few close friends together to socialize and discuss books they are reading this summer. Serve fun snacks and prep discussion questions about the plot and favorite characters.
5. Read Together – Chose a book you and child can read together and discuss. This is a great way for you to rediscover books you loved as a child and share them or get a better glimpse into your child’s world by learning about their interests (Captain Underpants was an eye opener for me!)
6. Book and a Movie – Wonder, the Harry Potter series, Ready Player One and classics like Charlotte’s Web, A Wrinkle In Time, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe and a host of other books have film adaptations that you can share with your child after they finish reading their books.
7. Try New Genres – Maybe your child doesn’t like longer chapter books and is interested in graphic novels, or wants to learn more about a famous person or sports figure they’d like to read about in a nonfiction book. You could also introduce your child to poetry, or have him read articles in your local newspaper.
8. Trade Screen Time for Reading – If your child is a big time gamer or loves connecting on social media you might have luck bartering extra screen time for hours spent reading a book they select.
9. Encourage Reading During Commutes – Road trips or commute time around your city can be great times to get your child excited about reading, as long as looking down at the book doesn’t make them car sick.
10. Read About Vacation Spots –If your family is traveling away from home on vacation encourage your kids to read fiction books set in the area you will be visiting or nonfiction books that tell the local history.
Tonya Duncan Ellis is author of the Readers’ Favorite “Five Star†rated Sophie Washington children’s book series, geared toward readers ages 8-12 and is a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI).
www.tonyaduncanellis.com
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