Summer can be a great time to instill a love of reading in your children.  Unfortunately, too many kids associate reading with school and thus it isn’t something they want to spend their summer doing!  Here’s some ways you can make it fun.

Enroll in a summer reading program.  Check your local library for a program as well as local bookstores, restaurants or sports teams.  Barnes and Noble has a program where your child can earn a free book.  Google "summer reading" and the name of the city you live in and see what you can find.

Read Aloud to your children.  Kind of a no-brainer if your children are younger, but you can read to your older kids too!  Choose a chapter book and read a chapter a day.  The best thing about this is that the book doesn’t have to match your child’s reading level.  So long as the story is appropriate, even preschoolers can enjoy a chapter book.  Try Frindle or Sideways Stories from Wayside School for younger kids and The Shadow Children series or Artemis Fowl for older kids.

Going on a trip?  Borrow some books from the library about your destination and encourage your kids to "teach" you what they learn.

Have your kids start their own Book Club. They can invite their friends to all read the same book and then have a book party and get together to talk about their favorite parts when they finished. 

Watch the movie – after you’ve read the book, of course.  Sure they’ve seen Charlotte’s Web or Charlie and The Chocolate Factory, but have they read the books?

What are your ideas?

You’ll find summer math ideas here and check back next week for ideas for keeping your kids writing this summer.

photo by bies