But then Summer rolls around. And my once avid little readers find themselves just too busy to read 😉 After all, we have sandcastles to build and adventures to take and trails to explore!
We love our adventure-filled Summer days, soaking up the outdoors, but I also don’t want them to fall behind on their reading. So it’s a balancing act — enjoying our Summer thoroughly and still sneaking in some reading.
Here are 3 quick tips we use to keep our kids reading during the Summer!
⇒ Summer Reading Programs
Summer Reading Programs are a great way to keep your kids excited about reading! You can find these different programs through local libraries or book stores, including Barnes & Nobel.
And the best part about these programs is that the people who organize these programs are so stinkin’ creative! They don’t just ask kids to read…they encourage them to try different genres; read in different places; and offer up some really fun incentives for completing their reading program! Because ice cream and free books!!!
⇒ Finding books they love
For my preschool son, it’s all about finding fun books with great illustrations. One of his favorites right now is How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow by Monica Sweeney.
A very sweet and funny story about friendship, How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow will definitely be a long time favorite for kids. And Feronia Parker Thomas’ illustrations are absolutely perfect! The bright colors fit in perfectly with our bright summer days!
But for my girls, more advanced readers, they love diving into a book series they love or finding a new series to begin to love. Both of my girls are absolutely loving the Pack of Dork book series from Beth Vrabel.
Her latest release in the series, Camp Dork, is just about perfect for Summer as Lucy and her pack embark upon Summer Camp! A funny ready for kids 8 to 12, Camp Dork explores the topics of bullying, crushes, rumors, and the importance of friendship and telling the truth.
⇒ Get creative with where they read
One of the best parts about reading during the Summer is that we can always find different spots to read! And we love taking our books along on our Summer adventures.
Going to the beach? Pack some books for some “downtime” in the sand. Heading to the zoo? Take along some books to read in the car on the way there or the way home. We even love to taylor the books we take with us to the adventure we’re going on!
But finding fun spots to read at home is important, too! We love tossing out some blankets in the grass for some afternoon reading, stretching out in the hammock, heading to the treehouse with a book & a snack, or building blanket forts in the house on rainy days for some reading time.
Finding a new place to read helps keep reading fun and exciting throughout the summer.
